This Can't Be Real
by livingstorywriter101
Summary: I'm not sure how it happened but I'm now in the world of Hetalia and that means I'm having to interacting with personified naftions of the world. And they all seem to think I could be a new country or something like that. This... could be interesting.
1. Appearing

I groaned, feeling groggy. I felt around for my glasses. The surface I was on seemed somewhat scratchy, almost like a carpet would. There also seemed to be a lot of chatter going on around me. But that didn't make any sense. I was napping at home, out of school due to a bug that was going around. But, aside from the grogginess and slight discomfort from where I was laying, I felt great. Maybe I was dreaming or something. But… there was that distinct feeling of discomfort I felt. I never felt any physical discomfort while dreaming so that made that idea seem less likely.

Finally, I found my glasses and put them on, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes along the way. I looked down and saw that I was, indeed, in the clothes I'd put on before going to sleep. An old pair of white socks, pink fleece pajama bottoms with white polka dots, and a black T-shirt with the bat signal on. I yawned and scratched my head before looking up and noticing that I was in the middle of a large ovular table that had the center cut out of it so it looked like a large O. And all around the outside was a bunch of different people, looking at me as if I was the strangest thing they'd ever seen.

"Hmmm…" I murmured sleepily as I looked at them, yawning again from the grogginess. "Definitely a dream…" I looked around at all the people with a friendly yet sleepy smile while waving shyly. "Hi, um… seeing as this seems to a lucid dream… can I ask you who you all are?"

They all blinked at me, a few of them seem seeming to snap out of their stupor and starting to shout. "Wow! That was kickass! You just appeared out of nowhere!" one yelled, looking like someone talking about how awesome a football game had gone for their team.

"Such powerful magic! How did you preform it! Are you a mage of some sort?" another yelled, his expression holding wonder and excitement.

"Such a jolie fille!**(1)**" yet another yelled, a slightly a perverted expression on his face.

"Pasta!" someone else yelled, looking perfectly content.

"SHUT UP!" someone yelled over all the yelling and shouting. I looked at the man and felt myself shrink slightly. This guy was really big and scary looking. And somewhat familiar looking. When I really thought about it, all of the people actually looked kind of familiar. And what they were all saying, especially the one that had shouted, "pasta," sounded like something I'd heard before.

Everyone became quiet as the frightening man spoke. I was unsure why I felt fear if I knew it was dream… this confusion didn't lessen the feeling though. "Now, who are you?" he asked,

I blinked, figuring it was best to answer the question due to the off chance I wasn't dreaming. "I'm Marissa, though you can call me Rissa," I said with a smile, attempting to be friendly. "Who're you?"

In the back of my mind I could've sworn I heard someone respond with, "I'm Canada." It took a lot of willpower to not laugh. Wouldn't that be hilarious. If this Hetalia and I was at a world conference. Fat chance. "I'm Italy~" the man who yelled pasta exclaimed happily. "And that's Germany!"

I blinked, staying quiet for a few moments before a giggle slipped out. "What's so funny?" 'Germany' asked, his German accent now very apparent.

"Pffff…" I soon found myself in hysterics. They had to be joking. If this wasn't a dream it was pretty good joke. "Th-this is great!" I exclaimed, falling back into a laying position as I laughed.

"Hmmm… I don't see what's so funny, aru…" someone with a Chinese accent asked.

The aru at the end of the sentence sent me into further hysterics. After a few minutes I managed to regain my composure and sit back up, wiping some tears out of my eyes. "Great joke guys… don't think I've ever laughed that hard before!"

"I'm not sure what you're speaking of, but I can assure you this is no joke," a man, whom I assumed was Austria, said.

I sighed as I stood up, smile still on my face. "Mhmm, and I'm the queen of England," I said.

"But you're most definitely not…" 'England' said.

"Exactly," I said, with a nod. "So who are you all really?"

"I'm Italy~" 'Italy' said again. "That's Germany, Japan, England, Austria, China, America, France, Romano, Spain…"

I sighed as 'Italy' went through the long list, pointing at every 'country' and introducing them to me. Once he was finished I nodded, thoroughly impressed by how accurate and dedicated these actors were to the joke. "Impressive…" I said. "Now what do I have to do to get you guys to tell me how you pulled this off without me finding out?"

Germany sighed an aggravated sigh. "Look," he said, practically growling. "We aren't pulling some sort of joke on you! Now tell us how you got here and exactly who you are. We know your name but we need to know if you're some sort of new country."

I felt a slight tinge of annoyance but it was easily overridden by a strange sense of panic. Was it really possible that I wasn't dreaming? NO. That idea… it was absurd! For me to be talking to personified countries from an anime, the would be impossible! It wasn't like I was in some… some fan fiction! This was a dream no doubt about it.  
>I took deep breath, closed my eyes, held out my arm, and pinched it as hard as I could. A yelp of pain left my mouth. I opened my eyes, expecting to see the ceiling of my room. But I still saw Germany staring at me, now with a hint of confusion to his expression. I wasn't dreaming… the pinch had caused me real pain and I was still there. "Wha-what the hell is going on…" I whispered, my eyes becoming wide.<p>

**1: pretty girl  
>Oh yea~ This is proving really fun to write so far! Just sort of an introduction for the story, I hope to make the other chapters longer than this, so... sorry if this chapter seems really short.<strong>


	2. Italy

It had been about a week since I'd appeared and I was being kept in a small room at America's house until a decision about what should be done with or about me. I had no idea why they had decided on America's house, perhaps it was because of my American accent. But either way, I wasn't going to complain. Despite his loudness and hero-complex he seemed to be friendly enough. And anything was better than France's suggestion of my staying with himself.

I had to shudder at the idea of staying with France. Yea, he was a hilarious character in the show but I wasn't of the mindset of staying with someone like that. And he would probably rape me given the chance and I really didn't want to deal with that.

Though, being cooped up, practically being kept as a prisoner, was getting old. Sure, America was pretty hospitable. He was providing me with cheeseburgers and invited me to play video games with him every so often so it wasn't as if I could really complain but I missed the ability to go off on my own. Well that and… Tony kind of creeped me out.

I sighed, flopping down onto the bed America had leant me. He was at another meeting to try to figure out how to deal with the situation I'd caused. This meant I was stuck in the room I'd been leant. There was nothing to do there aside from sleep. I felt just about ready to die from boredom but it wasn't like I was willing to go against the order I'd been given to stay in the room. It had come from an extremely powerful nation and going against that kind of power… seemed like a bad idea to me.

"Hey!"

I jumped up in surprise and looked out the window. Italy was standing outside and waving at me. I cocked my head, feeling confused. Shouldn't he have been at the meeting with everyone else? I opened the window and looked at him with a questioning look, becoming more surprised as he crawled in through the window. "Um…"

"Ciao**(1)** Marissa!" Italy said, waving at me as if this could be considered a normal occurrence.

"Hi… I don't mean to sound rude but… what're you doing here?" I asked.

"Ah~ I thought you'd like some company!" Italy replied.

"Oh… thanks. But, should you be at the meeting?"

"It ended already!"

I blinked. America had only left an hour or so ago. They must've finally made up their minds on the matter. I looked at Italy with a nervous expression. What could this mean. Was I going to be thrown into prison for having interrupted their meeting? Or worse, would they hand me over to France? No. They weren't THAT cruel… or were they? They could force me to eat English food… I wasn't sure if that would be worse than being given to France.

Or maybe they were just as curious to what was going on as I was. I hadn't exactly told them that they were from an anime or… anything fictional really. I had just told them I had laid down to take a nap because I was home sick, though I mentioned that I felt completely fine now when a few of the kinder countries had looked at me worriedly. And then I went on to tell them that after I fell asleep I woke up in the middle of the room and that they knew the rest.

It was a puzzling story. They hadn't believed me at first but after insisting that I was telling the truth and had no reason to lie they began to believe me. When questioned about why thinking they were pulling a prank on me I had outright lied. I told them that my friends were really into pranks and always tried to pull fast ones on me. And claiming to be different countries sounded like something they would do. The countries had all nodded in acceptance of the story but it was obvious that certain countries, Germany in particular, didn't quite believe my story. Not believing it was understandable, it was a lie after all.

"So, um… what are you all planning to do with me?" I asked, traces of fear most likely on my face.

Italy smiled and patted my shoulder. "Don't look so scared! America is going to come get you to bring you to the meeting hall. So… I probably shouldn't really say anything but… ah…" he said, trying to calm me down and find a way to word the decision in a way that wouldn't get him in trouble. "We just want to talk to you some more."  
>It was decent way of completely dodging the question while still answering it at the same time. But it didn't ease the nervousness I felt about it. I sat down on my bed and let out a frustrated sigh. I couldn't imaging what we could all talk about. I had told them everything I knew already. It wasn't fair to question me, leave me to wait for a long period of time, and then question me again! It wasn't fair at all.<p>

"So… how did you get here before America did then?" I asked, wanting to change the subject away from what was causing me such frustration.

It was a legitimate question. Though I shouldn't have known about Italy's ability to retreat at great speeds and advance at… well, not nearly as great speeds I was well aware of the fact. And this didn't exactly seem like one of those retreat moments that would get him going at top speed. Though… he also wasn't the safest driver so that could've been an explanation as well. It was a scary thought for him to have driven here but it was also completely possible. "America went to go get lunch~" Italy answered, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I had to stop myself from laughing. That would explain how Italy had beaten America here. Heck… it would explain why I might be waiting for America to get back for a good deal longer than I should have. "That sounds about right," I said, a faint, yet amused, smile on my face from the news. "I could be waiting a while then…"

"That's why I thought you might like some company!" Italy said happily, his smile looking friendly and good natured.

I smiled at Italy. He really was one of a kind. Having grown up with his grandfather he was bound to turn out artistic but he was so friendly and goofy as well. Though, that was probably a trait he'd acquired from his heritage as well. Maybe not so much one of a kind as I'd initially thought… then again. Rome had been known, not only, for it's art and culture but also for it's pure amount of power. Italy… well he wasn't exactly well known for being powerful by any means. If anything he was known for being a coward. A kind and goofy coward, but a coward nonetheless.

It made it almost comical to think of how he and Germany could manage to get along as well as they did. Germany was… there's not much more to say than he was Germany. Scary, strict, and good at what he did. Italy was lazy, artistic, and good natured. Then there was Japan as well. He seemed to compliment the other two well. Quiet and planning. So you had a team with three main parts to it. The intimidation needed to get Italy to train. The speed in retreating. And the planning needed to make winning battle plans.

"Hey! Why don't we go make some pasta or something!" Italy exclaimed, suddenly bringing me out of my thoughts. "I'm kind of hungry and you must be tired of whatever America's been feeding you, yea?"

I blinked, thinking hard about it. I had been on a strictly hamburger diet, along with the occasional bit of junk food I was offered when invited to game with America and Tony, for the past week. It was a bit tiring eating nothing but the greasy hamburgers, along with unhealthy. But I hadn't complained considering I was technically a prisoner and I was being fed better than I had to be. And pasta did sound delicious. But I had also been told to stay in the room when America wasn't around.  
>Though, letting Italy in probably wasn't exactly doing what I was supposed to do either. And I was going to be taken to the meeting hall by America later anyway. So there wasn't any major harm in leaving. After a minute or so of internal debate I nodded. "Sure, I'm not really sure if America has the makings for pasta though…" I said.<p>

"Ah, that's fine~" Italy told me, beginning to climb through the window and outside. "I have the stuff in my car! You should never leave home without supplies!"

A giggle slipped out as Italy began running to his car. Italy would always have the makings for pasta with him, wouldn't he?

**1: Hello  
>New chapter~ Twas fun to write too ^.^ Italy is such a goofball and it's fun to write about!<strong>


	3. Pasta

_Creeeeeeek_

I winced as the door opened. This felt like a forbidden act, leaving the room I'd been given. Even if I was under the supervision of Italy… actually, that made it seem like is was even more forbidden to me. There was no way America, no matter how fun loving he was, would've approved of me going against his orders to go make pasta with the red headed nation in his own kitchen.

I wondered what would happen, should America catch Italy and I in the act of pasta making. Perhaps he would decide to be cool with it and ask to chow down with us. If he chose that and the pasta was good enough maybe he'd end up being happy with our decision. Or maybe he'd just give us a slap on the wrist, reprimanding us for doing something we knew we could get in trouble for doing. It was also possible that he could become angry I'd gone against his word as well as letting someone into his house without permission. That could end in both Italy and I getting in a huge amount of trouble with not only him but, possibly, a whole slue of other nations as well.  
>Italy must've noticed how tense I was because he suddenly hugged me, laughing slightly at how quickly my face turned red from the gesture. "Relax bella~<strong>(1)<strong>" he said. "If we get in trouble I'll take the blame! And wow! Your face is really red! It's kind of like a tomato!"

My blush must've deepened because Italy started laughing a little more. I wasn't used to getting surprise hugs. Hell, I usually pushed away physical contact from the irrational discomfort is gave. It wasn't that I disliked physical contact it was just… it made me nervous and skittish as hell. I couldn't explain why it made me feel that way but I had felt that way about it as long as I could remember. "Ah… I-Italy…" I said, hopping he would realize he hadn't let go of me and that I'd like him to.

"Hmmm? Is something wrong Marissa?"

"C-could you please let go of me?" I asked.

"Oh… I see!" he said, letting go and seeming to realize something. "You're like Mr. Japan aren't you?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused by what he could mean by that question.

"You like your personal space like Mr. Japan does!" Italy said with a nod. "Is that right?"

"Oh, uh, I suppose that's as good a way of putting it as any other is," I said, slightly taken aback by how easily Italy had managed to figure out and compare the situations. "Now… to the kitchen?"

"Yea!" Italy exclaimed, picking up and waving the pot full of ingredient he had.

The two of us began exploring the house and eventually found our way to the kitchen, somehow never coming across Tony. As Italy began boiling the water we would be using I looked around the kitchen, shocked at how many different things were in it. Drawers and cabinets were filled with different things that could be used to make many and different fantastic meals. And yet, America always ate out or just ate hamburgers. It was unfathomable to see all of the different cooking utensils and ingredients he had.

I suddenly got an idea as I trifled through the different spices and seasonings. I turned to Italy with a curious expression on my face. Sure the idea was about the lowest I could go on attempting to suck up to the countries, but I really had no idea what they had planned for me. If I could possibly make them like me even in the slightest I could end up better off. True, I was looking out for myself but I didn't think that was such a bad idea. "Italy~ do you think the other countries would like it if I made cookies to bring to the meeting?"

Italy blinked before grinning. "Yea! I think they would like it a lot!" he said, looking excited at the idea. "You can bake?"

"Well… not extensively," I said, looking to the side. It was true. I was, by no mean, anywhere close to being able to be called a cook or baker. But I knew how to make cookies. And people seemed to like it when I made cookies in the past. "I've made a cake once before and it turned out… alright. But I've made cookies tons of times and they tend to come out pretty good."

"Oh! What kind of cookies?" Italy asked, looking truly interested in my baking endeavors.

"Um, let's see…" I said, attempting to recall what kind of cookies I'd made in the past. "I've made chocolate chip, chocolate chip with peanut butter chips, and just white chocolate chip cookies… they're all the same recipe, just switching out the different types of chips. I think in this case I'd just make chocolate chip though…"

"Sound delizioso!**(2)**" Italy said happily, the water finally coming to a boil.

I smiled and began getting the different ingredients I'd need. I'd used the recipe enough times that I knew it almost by heart, granted exact measurements weren't going to be completely followed. If a few teaspoons of this and that were left out or added who would know any difference? Sure, it would be my first attempt without the recipe at my side but it's not like anything major could wrong, right?

"Hmmm… was it teaspoons or tablespoons of baking soda…" I murmured quietly as I tried to recall the recipe. Um… I'll go with teaspoons just to be safe. Better to little than too much. And I'm making a triple batch since there's so many people… so I'll go with three teaspoons of baking soda! Same with salt too! And ah… about seven cup of flour? Yea! That sounds about right! It may be tad bit too much though… um… I'll just make sure the last cup has a bit less than the other ones do!"

I felt proud of myself for being able to recall the recipe so well. I quickly went to the cabinet I'd seen flour in and grabbed a bag of it. I jumped back in surprise, crying out from the other bags suddenly beginning to come forward, stopping as they took the place of the bag I'd taken, a new one now in the back of the cabinet. "Geeze… it-it's like an assembly line or something!" I said, standing on my toes to get a better look in.

What I saw made me suddenly think of all the storage rooms one would see if they watched extreme couponing shows. America had excessive amounts of everything. It was the most extreme case of bulk buying I'd ever seen. I shook my head and blinked, not really sure how else to react. "Are you alright Marissa?" Italy asked, walking over to where I was.

"Oh, yea! I'm fine," I said. "I was just startled."

"Oh, okay. Well, the pasta will be ready soon!" Italy said, looking excited. "I've already started prepping the sauce too!"

I grinned. "Sounds great!" I said, looking forward to the food.

Soon enough I'd recalled the rest of the recipe and had mixed all the ingredients together. It had been a bit of a messy process and I had blotches of flour on me but I was absolutely sure that the cookies would turn out great. As the first pan of cookies came out of the oven and the second went in Italy yelled out happily. "Pasta~"  
>I grinned and closed the oven. That had to mean the food was ready. "Yum! This is going to be awesome!" I said, going over to the table Italy had put the two bowl of pasta on.<p>

The smell was intoxicating. Basil mixing with oregano that mixed with the garlic. And the distinct scent of tomato and Italian Sausage along with a few select vegetable. It was a smell you just wanted to melt into. I sat down, twirled my fork into the spaghetti and ate some. If the smell was good then the taste, it was amazing. The distinct feeling of being homemade not only gave it its own perfection of it own but added to the wondrous taste the sauce held. It was possibly the best pasta sauce I'd ever had. It was slightly sweet yet had bit of a bite from the sausage. All of it mixed together gave a taste filled with richness of culture. "Mmmm~" I said, discovering a completely new love for pasta.

"You like?" Italy asked, looking quite pleased with himself as he ate his serving.

"I love it," I said, taking another fork of it. "It's so… so… yummy!"

Italy chuckled, probably not being used to that terminology to describe the masterpiece he'd made. "I'm glad you like it Marissa!" he said.

I smiled happily before hearing a beep. I sighed, not wanting to leave the food but getting up anyway to get the cookies out of the oven. In went another pan. This was going to be a huge amount of cookies, but that was fine considering there would be so many people. I grabbed a couple of the already baked cookies and went back to the table. "I know it's a strange combination… cookies and pasta that is. But have one," I said, holding one of the cookies out for Italy.  
>"Ah~" Italy said, greatfully taking the cookie. "Grazi!<strong>(3)<strong>"

He took a bite of the still warm cookie and smiled. "You like it?" I asked, hoping I'd gotten the recipe right.

Italy nodded, his smile large and happy. "It's fantastico!**(4)**" he said.

I smiled, happy I hadn't messed up the recipe. "I'm so happy to hear that!" I exclaimed.

"I smell cookies!"

I jumped up startled. America can running into the kitchen, seemingly sniffing out the baking cookies, smiling like a little kid would on Christmas morning. He stopped, dead in his tracks, when he saw the mess that had been made and that I was sitting in the kitchen, eating food that had been prepared with his food and in his kitchen without his permission, with an uninvited Italy munching on one of the tracked down cookies. "Um… hi America," I said, not sure how he might react.

**1: Beautiful  
>2: Delicious<br>****3: Thank you  
><strong>**4: Fantastic  
>Describing the taste and smell of something is surprisingly difficult o.O And mwahaha, bow to my awesome cliff hanger skills...<strong>

**Prussia: Your skills are nowhere near as mine! I AM awesome Prussia after all!**

**...Fine then. Oh! And two updates in one day? Boo-ya! I wouldn't get to used to that though xD Only happened cause I'm at home sick and had nothing else to do... okay, maybe I had homework but I've done so much backwork today already TT^TT Don't give me that look Germany!**

**Germany: Homework. NOW.**

***Le sigh* Fine..**


	4. Cookies

I looked at America, slightly worried for what might happen. He easily had the power to beat the shit out of both Italy and I. Well, he honestly didn't need much power to beat up either one of us, and us combined didn't pose much of a threat either. Italy would probably just run, crying out for Germany to come save him while I… well I'd never had a physical confrontation outside of goofing around with my brother when we were younger. And even that didn't go very far, the whole personal space thing having been around even then. So it was safe to say that America could EASILY beat the, as Romano would say, crapola out of me and Italy, given the off chance Italy didn't escape.

"America! Ciao~**(1)**" Italy said, acting as if he and I being in America's kitchen eating pasta and baking a surplus of chocolate chip cookies was a perfectly normal thing. "Would you like one of the fantastico**(2)**cookies Marissa baked for the meeting?"

America blinked and grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Yea! Way to be awesome!" he said, catching me by surprise. I held out the other cookie I had grabbed, not having had a chance to start eating it yet. America took the cookie and ate it, looking pleased with it. "That was great! If I had know you could bake I would've had you make cookies and stuff earlier!"

America began laughing, sounding obnoxious. I sighed, relieved to not be in trouble.

"So, um… Italy told me that you were going to take me to the meeting hall?" I said, finally finishing all the cookies.

"Hmmm?" America mumbled, eating another cookie. "Oh! Da, I'm daking yoo do da meeding!"

I winced grossed out that America was actually talking with a full mouth. It was disgusting to me. I looked away, hoping distract myself with trying to find some Tupperware to put the cookies in. If he had all the stuff to cook he had to have stuff to store the food in, right? Or maybe… maybe he just ate it all in one sitting. No… he couldn't be that much of a pig, could he? Or… maybe he just threw the leftovers away. No, I refused to believe he could be that wasteful. The absolutely HAD to be Tupperware somewhere.

Good, I had found the cabinet the Tupperware was kept in and my faith in humanity had been restored. America gulped from a glass of milk, washing down the remains of the cookie before continued talking, much to my appreciation. He sighed, sounding content. "We just want to ask you some more questions and stuff. We already have a pretty good idea on what we're going to do, we just want to double check some things. No need to stress over it," he said, smiling at me.

I blinked. That had been uncharacteristically empathetic of America to say. He actually seemed to care about the tense mood I was conveying. Either that or he was just trying to mooch a sixth, that's right, SIXTH, cookie from me before the meeting. I had made an overabundance of cookies but with how America could eat I wouldn't have enough cookies at the meeting. As it was America was definitely going to be the last to get his cookie at the meeting. "Well, I'm ready to go then…" I said, closing the final container of cookies.

Three containers of cookies. Three rather large containers. I felt accomplished. I hoped the other countries would like the cookies. I was beginning to lose the want to get on their good side, having been reassured by both Italy and America that it was going to be fine, and just wanted to give them the cookies as a kind gesture. Making people smile through food always made me happy and this was no different to me. "I'll carry those for you if you want, it's the least a HERO can do," America offered, obviously attempting to look innocent as he did so.

I looked at him, my expression conveying the ever so famous, "do I really look that stupid to you?" look I could pull off at a moments notice. I'd had a lot of practice with it, having friends and family that always seemed to think that just because I was blonde that I was stupid enough to be tricked by them. But I wasn't. Oh, I was about as far as you could get when it came to mixing words around to get what you want from me. Sure, I was naïve and gullible at times but I wasn't one to let people walk all over me. "That's quite alright, Mr. Hero. I'm no damsel, I can carry a couple of boxes of cookies," I said.

America's expression looked crushed, he had obviously thought his plan had been fool proof. Fool proof for America or Italy possibly… but not so much for me. I sighed, his heartbroken expression tugging at my heartstrings. No. He's just trying to weasel a cookie out of you. Do not give in. Don't you dare give in Marissa. Stay strong. Don't be a softy. You can't give in. Don't… oh, what the hell? "Take it," I said with a sigh, opening one of the containers and holding a cookie out.

"Yea!" America cheered, suddenly looking perfectly happy as he took the cookie from me. "You should've seen your face! It was all like, "I can't resist this freaking awesome hero! I gonna give him another cookie cause I know he wants one! And being the hero he is I'm sure he deserves a cookie as well!" It was so cool! I'm just that heroic though! I saved this cookie from the cramped confines of that container! Did you see how cool, heroic, and manly I was!"

I let out an aggravated sigh. I was becoming far to soft for my own good. I closed the container again and picked up the three containers. "Italy!" I called, knowing he would probably be expected at the meeting as well.

No response. Perfect. I went into the living room, America close behind me, still going on about how heroic he'd been towards the cookie I'd given. What he didn't bother to mention is the he had already devoured said results of his heroics. When we arrived in the living room I quickly spotted Italy. He was asleep on the coach. Big surprise there. And Tony was poking him with a stick. Again, big surprise there. Well, I did have to wonder where Tony had gotten the stick he was using but I wasn't exceedingly interested in minor details such as that.

I walked over to Italy and crouched to where I was eyelevel with him. "Hey Italy, you need to wake up," I said, hoping he get up easily.

"Mmmm~" Italy murmured sleepily, though he still wore a smile on his face. "Pasta~"

I frowned. I didn't want to use, what I liked to call the Germany technique, but if it came down to it. "Italy," I said, attempting once more to do this kindly. "Italy, you gotta get up. We need to all go to the meeting."

"Nnnn…" Italy moaned, flopping over so he was facing me anymore. "Five more minutes."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Italy… I once killed a man in his sleep with his own mustache," I whispered, quoting what I remembered of the clip in the most serious tone I could achieve.

Italy screamed and shot up. "Okay! Okay! I'm up! Geez Marissa… you're almost as scary as Mr. Germany…" he said, looking slightly surprised.

I smiled and shook my head, standing up and heading towards the door as America started at Italy and I with confusion. "Onward?" I asked, motioning towards the front door.

"Yea~" Italy said, getting up and stretching. "Oh! Oh! Can I drive Marissa there?"

"Hells no dude, I'm the one that supposed to bring her and you drive like a maniac. We want her and the cookies to arrive there in one piece," America said, eyeing the containers of cookies longingly.

"Oh~" Italy said, looking somewhat sad. "But… I want to drive someone… ah! Mr. Alien!"

And with that Tony disappeared, leaving Italy with a disappointed expression. America then dragged me out to the car, Italy towing behind sadly, and we were off. This could prove to be very interesting.

**1: Hello  
>2: Fantastic<br>Haha~ America is such a dork, always going on about his heroics and whatnot!**

**England: And a pig =_= Talking with his mouth full like that!**

**America: Ya'll are just jealous of how supermegafoxyawesomehot **(Starkid reference? Me thinks so!)** I am!**

**France: ...Honhonho~ You may show me how supermegafoxyawesomehot you are if you'd like ;)**

**America: Ahhhh! Rape! I Need an adult**

***Facepalm* Oh wow... I better go now... this story is only rated T after all, I don't need them giving people a reason to report me for not rating it properly...**

**Russia: Before she ends... become one with Russia, da?**


	5. Cars

Somehow, I don't know how, but somehow I ended up in a car being driven my Italy. I was scared for my life, really. Why hadn't America stayed true to his word? "Hells no dude, I'm the one that's supposed to bring her and you drive like a maniac," he had said. So why, then, was I being driven by Italy? Because America had run out of gas and was leaving his chauffeur to wait with the car until we could get more gas.

Italy had been driving behind us, driving much more carefully than normally did, and had offered to take us to the nearest gas station. We had gotten the gas and made it back to America's car. It had been a terrifying trip but we had made it. I trembled as the car finally came to a stop, thankful to still be alive. "Dude…" America said, looking slightly pale. "That was…"

"Terrifying," I said quietly, just wanting to get out of the car.

"Hell no!" America said, his expression suddenly becoming lively and excited. "It… it was freaking awesome!"

I blinked, horrified by the reaction America was having. He had to be in shock, he simply had to be! It had been the most horrifyingly, life threatening, law breaking car ride I'd ever been in. But then I realized what was truly causing the inhuman reaction. It was a ride for America. An adrenalin inducing, twist at every turn ride he probably associated with a theme park attraction.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Just a little bit ago America had been ragging on Italy for his driving skills and now he was saying that the experience, which was quite possibly the most terrifying I'd ever had, was, "freaking awesome!" What gave?

All of a sudden, uncontrollable, completely nervous and maniacal laughter began erupting from America. I looked at him with a sense of worry. Before long the laughter turned into sobs. Pity inducing sobs. In all honesty, it was really uncomfortable to listen to. Shock. It had definitely been a shock induced reaction on America's part. I had read way to far into it.

The chauffeur walked over, helping the trembling mass known as America out of the car. I began slowly scooting over to the door, still shaking a good deal myself, as the two walked over to fill the car with the newly acquired gasoline. But before I could reach the open door Italy slammed it shut and put the pedal to the metal, speeding off with me still in the car. I cried out in fear, quickly bucking into seat and gripping onto the seat. "Italy!"

America's yell echoed behind Italy and I for us to hear it over the motor and crunching gravel. Italy laughed happily. "Ve~" he said. "This is fun, no?"

I responded with another scream of fear, terrified by the fact Italy had taken his eyes off the road, which we were traveling over at an alarmingly fast rate. "I don't want to die!" I sobbed.

Italy continued to laugh, seemingly having the time of his life as he swerved left and right. Would this be it? Was I about to die? I supposed that this was as good a way to die as any was. A headline flashed through my mind. "**ITALY: Found Severely Injured in Car Accident. Cookie Remains Found Scattered Throughout Car**." Not even a mention of me… the only reason the cookies had been mentioned was because it had been an American newspaper and America wouldn't see it any other way. I hadn't really made a mark on the world. Nothing important or of notoriety. I wasn't ready to die! I had to make some kind of difference before I died!

"Italy!" I cried out, my tone pleading as it conveyed my fear and panic.

"Ve~"

Italy slowed down and came to a steady halt and looked back at me with a carefree smile, pulling to the side of the road. I looked at him, my entire body shaking and my breathing uneven. "C-could you PLEASE drive… slower… and less swearvy…and just all around safer?" I asked, my voice quiet and pleading. "Please… I-I… I'd like to live long at least another thirty years and I don't think I'll even make it another ten minutes at this rate…"

Italy frowned slightly, looking disappointed. "You don't like my driving?" he asked sadly.

I looked away, uncomfortable and unsure of how to answer the question. Obviously I didn't feel safe to be riding with Italy driving in such a manner. It was frightening and it was, frankly, completely unsafe. But it wasn't like I wanted to hurt his feelings. He had just been trying to have fun and had possibly thought I would have fun as well. "Well… ah… I'm just not used to such… outgoingness in driving that you seem to perform so easily and naturally. I'd just prefer to stick with the more… law abiding and… conventional form of driving," I explained, attempting to choose my words as carefully as possible as I, slowly, began shaking less.

Italy let out a thoughtful, "hmmm," and nodded. His carefree smile returned as he beckoned for me to move up to the front passengers seat. "I'll go slower, if it make you feel better."

I smiled at Italy, grateful for his compliance with my request. Despite having practically kidnapped me, Italy seemed to be considerate person. Sure, all he really cared about getting at the end of the day was more pasta and sleep but he was treating me like he might a friend. Less needy than he treated his friendship with Germany, for sure, but a friend nonetheless. It made me oddly happy to think that he might consider me a friend.

It was strange. I knew he was from an anime and comic series, meaning I shouldn't have cared much either way if I was friends with him or America but… I sensed both of them found me at least a little likeable. It would be hard to imagine them joking with me and treating me the way they did if they didn't. And those thoughts gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside you get after something really great happens. Making friends… it felt wonderful to me. And Italy as a friend sounded awesome. He definitely seemed like the type of friend who would always keep you on your toes. Not as much as America maybe, but he had definitely kept me guessing throughout my entire period of interaction with him.

I crawled into the front seat and buckled myself in, placing the containers of cookies on the floor by my feet. Italy began driving again, this time much slower and safer. I sighed, feeling relieved as I looked up at the sky, the car being topless and whatnot. It was exceedingly blue, enough so to give me chilling appreciation of it's beauty. It was absolutely amazing. I closed my eyes and breathed in the air. It was cool and soothing to me.

I felt a smile grace my lips. Nothing beat a car ride where you could feel the wind rushing through your hair. It was one of the most amazing things in the world to me. I found myself becoming increasingly relaxed as time went on. Minutes went by, Italy chatting with me about how he was excited to see what the others thought of my cookies and how he was torn between making pasta or pizza for dinner that night. I suggested making both, causing him to, enthusiastically agree to the idea.

Before I knew it we'd arrived at the meeting hall. I looked at it, suddenly feeling slightly worried again. I gulped, unbuckling and picking up the cookies. Opening the door and getting out, I noticed different countries were arriving as well, a few of them casting wary looks at me. "Dai,**(1)**" Italy said, motioning for me to follow him. "Seguimi~**(2)**"

I nodded and trailed behind Italy, looking at the various works of art we passed as we made our way to the meeting room. All too soon we reached a large set of doors. I looked at them, knowing that behind them was waiting powerful countries. Countries who could easily make my life, which had already somehow become strange and messed up, a living hell. Behind the doors awaited my fate.

**1: Come on  
>2: Follow me<br>Hooray for being able to google how to say things in foreign languages! Not sure how much I'll update this weekend. Want to get like one or two updates in but I'm really busy this month... but it's a fun busy, so yay!**

**Italy: There's a fun busy?**

**Yea... think of it as like being busy while making pasta! You're busy with the activity but it's also fun! Right?**

**Italy: Yea~ I get it!**

**Good! Glad I could help~ Oh! Also, my history class has finally gotten to World War I so I'm having fun with relating it to Hetalia now, hearing about all the countries and such ^.^**

**Prussia: But none of them are as awesome as me! Bow to my awesomeness!**

**...Yea, I'm gonna go now... hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Firsties

I looked at the doors that, once opened, would lead me to finding out what was going to happen to me. It was intimidating to think about. The countries of the world were incredibly powerful and could do anything they wanted to do to me. There wouldn't be a thing I could do to stop them either. True, I hadn't actually done anything wrong but… if they found out I knew what I knew and that I had lied to them it could have ended horribly for me.

Besides, it wasn't like anyone here would miss me if I did somehow… go missing. No one here even knew me. Unless there were alternate versions on my family and friends here but that was highly unlikely. Then again, me ending up in the world of Hetalia was highly unlikely as well.

I still hadn't come up with a plausible explanation to that one. Maybe there wasn't one. Maybe I had just ticked off karma who'd decided to be a bitch about it and turn my life upside down. Yea, I was going to go with that. I couldn't figure out what I might have done but it must've been something really bad… or really good depending on how it was looked at.

I wasn't all that upset about meeting the characters from Hetalia to be completely honest. It was an exciting idea to think about. How many people could say they'd actually met the characters of an anime they were in love with? None that I knew of. But hey, maybe there were more people and they hadn't made it back to tell anyone. Maybe that would be my fate.

The idea of never making it back and never seeing my friends and family again made me feel slightly sad. I may have argued with my family in the past and, sure, my friends and I had had rough patches before but I already missed them a bit. I longed to see them again someday. But worrying about it wouldn't get me anywhere. I had to keep going… find out what was going to happen to me if I ever wanted a chance at seeing them again.

I took a deep breath as Italy opened the doors. I walked into the room, only to be greeted by an unwelcome gesture. "Honhonho~" France laughed happily, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Welcome back ma chérie!**(1)** You've no idea how much tu m'as manquée!**(2)**"

I attempted to slip out of his hold but he only pulled me closer. "Please let me go…" I said, a blush rising as France turned me so I was facing him and held me against himself by wrapping his arm around my waist.

I quickly used the containers of cookies to France from being able to being to have me completely pressed against himself. He chuckled, obviously amused with reaction. "Ma petite,**(3)** has anyone ever told you how lovely you look when you become embarrassed?" he asked, bringing his face closer to me.

My blush deepened as France's breath hit my face, tickling my nose. "I-I…"

All I could do was stammer which only egged him on more. Why that kind of attention have feel so awkward to me? It made flirting extremely difficult and awkward for me, something that made being a teenager be somewhat aggravating when it came to liking people.

I cried out in surprise as France began leading me towards his seat. "You may sit with me, ma chéri~**(1)**" he said, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap with a pleased expression.

I knew that my face had to be beet red by now. It was the most awkward and embarrassing interaction I'd ever had with someone. "Uh-uh… I…" I stammered, trying to get out of France's grasp, which was attempting to pull me closer and farther onto his lap. I was ready to die. "P-please let me up…"

"Let her go, frog," Britain said with an aggravated sigh, holding the bridge of his nose to emphasize the point as he walked over to the scene France was causing with me.

"Ohonhon~" France laughed, looking at Britain with a smirk on his face as he managed to make it so I was as close to him as was physically possible. "You sound jealous~"

"I am not jealous of you!" Britain yelled, looking at France with a fear inducing glare.

"Really now?" France asked, looking at Britain disbelievingly as he began pulling the boxes of cookies out of my hands setting them on the table. "I think you're jealous that I have this jolie fille**(4)** all to myself~"

I squeaked, just wishing I would be released soon, as France pulled my face closer to his own. I already didn't like physical contact and this was not helping that situation in the slightest, nor was it helping the awkwardness I felt. I quickly tried to jump out of his lap. This did result in my getting away from France but it also resulted in me tumbling into Britain and the both of us ending up on the ground, me on top of Britain.

The two of us groaned, both looking less than amused with everything that was happening. This was far too much to deal with in one day. Too eventful. Too crazy. Too… everything! I felt like my head was going to explode if the day didn't end soon. And I'd probably cry if it didn't end on a good not with the meeting. Heck, I was ready to break down right there. Between being kidnapped by Italy, mentally scarred and molested by France, and the anxiety of what might happen with the meeting I was ready to snap.

Britain cleared his throat, suddenly alerting me to the fact that I was still atop him. I scrambled to get up, feeling mortified. Why couldn't I have had a boring life? I wouldn't complain about being board again if it got me away from France. Speaking of which… as soon as I was up I found myself back in the arms of France. He laughed, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "I claim her as my territory now~" he said, sounding giddy yet completely serious at the same time.

"You can't do that, you git!" Britain yelled, standing up and brushing himself off.

"And why not? We already suspect her of being a new country! And I claimed her first! That means she's my territory!" France said, beginning a glaring war with Britain. "I called firsties!"

"You can't claim firsties!" Britain shouted back.

France set me down in his seat and began fighting with Britain. I stayed put, eyes wide, head spinning, and thoughts racing. "Ah… they weren't supposed to tell you that…"

I looked back. Japan was standing behind me, looking apologetic. They actually thought I could be a new country? How could they think that was possible? I was still just kid! Sure they had all started out as kids but I would've started out as a teenager if I was country. I was only seventeen; no way could I handle my own country. And if they thought I was a country then they would think there was new territory to claim, as France had just demonstrated.

I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach. They might fight over me if they thought I was a new piece of territory to be claimed. I didn't want any of the responsibilities of being a country. Wait. I was getting ahead of myself. I wasn't really a country so there was nothing to fight over. There weren't any country responsibilities for me to take over.

But, I had randomly appeared here without any explanation other than karma deciding to be a bitch. Maybe… maybe that was why I had been taken from my home to a world that was supposed to be fictional. Maybe, by some strange twist of fate, I'd become a country. But that didn't make sense at all. People didn't just become countries for no good reason. And it wasn't like I had what it took to be a country. Hell, I'd rather have had them recognize Sealand as a country than think I was a country. I was doomed if they were correct in their horrid suspicions.

The countries all knew I had memories of before I'd appeared before them. Memories of being a normal teenage girl. And yet they still thought me being a country was a possibility. Did they think I had just made up the memories? Or that I had possibly lied about having the memories to cover up the possibility of me being a country. None of it made sense.

I blinked, trying to slow my thoughts. They were all racing around in my head at about a million miles a minute. I had to think clearly. But that was impossible with the information I'd just been given. It… it wasn't fair to put that kind of responsibility on me. I… I was still a kid. I looked up, teary eyed and absolutely exhausted. Japan looked back, almost looking sympathetic to the fear that I was so easily conveying. "Wh-why?" I asked, noticing that the question brought Britain and France's squabble to an end.

The looked at me with confusion. "Why what mon amie?**(5)**" France asked, beginning to notice the tears in my eyes. "Oh! Don't cry chérie!**(6)** Noboy wants to see such a jolie petite fille cry~**(7)**"

"Wh-why…" I continued, turning my look to France and Britain. "Why do you all think I'm a country?"

**1: My dear  
><strong>**2: I've missed you  
><strong>**3: Little one  
><strong>**4: Pretty girl  
><strong>**5: My friend  
><strong>**6: Dear  
><strong>**7: Pretty little girl  
>Oh gosh =.= so much French in this! And I'm not even sure it's all right... hopefully it is though! If you find any mistakes (which will probably be all of it -.-) please let me know so I can fix it :)<strong>

**France: Well, at least I have a new territory~**

**Germany: Dummkopf! You weren't even supposed to tell her what we thought!**

**Italy: Ve~ She was going to find out anyway, yea?**

**Germany: Well yea... but I had wanted to announce it in a dramatic way at the meeting...**

**America: Oh well! It's not like I couldn't have announced it in a way more dramatic and heroic way anyway! So no real loss on your part!**

**...Okay then...**

**Britain: By the way... when do we get those cookies?**

**America: Oh yea! Where are they anyway!**

**France: Well, I put them over there... they're gone!**

**America: What the hells man! We need to go on a rescue mission for them!**

**Prussia: *somewhere else* I am awesome! *holds up boxes of cookies and smirks***

**Hmm... well, while they all go on Operation: Find the Cookies I'll go work on the next chapter~ Happy St. Patrick's Day!**


	7. Noticed

I looked around at the three men, waiting for a response. They all looked confused to why I would be so upset at the suspicion of possibly being a country. It was like the couldn't really comprehend the idea of someone not wanting to be a country, which was understandable. They'd been countries all their lives and were all perfectly happy with it. Sure, they had hardships as countries but they also had power and other things that other, non-country, people didn't have. The power and advantages probably, easily, outweighed the hardships.

Me? I had been a normal person all my life. Being a country took time, dedication, and a massive amount of responsibility. I was still really young and had no want for any of that. I wanted to goof off and enjoy my life. The countries seemed to do that but I had to think there was a hidden feeling of burden within them. Was I to bear that type of burden as well? And it felt awfully unfair to have it thrust upon me without my consent.

Also, if I were to be a new country then that would mean someone, somewhere, had claimed a piece of territory independent. And that would make it so that piece of territory would have to be found so the other countries and I would know where it was. What if it was in an already existing country? Would I be thought as treasonous to that country? And if I was a country and I got invaded and claimed by another country… would I end up as their slave of some sort?

My head was reeling. I needed it to stop. I needed to calm my thoughts. I needed to become in control of myself if I wanted any chance at being safe. That had to be my top priority rather than trying to comprehend everything at once. It was necessity. And if I managed to calm myself I could think clearly and understand things easier. Understanding things was key to figuring out what was going on.

"Maybe we should wait until the meeting starts before we go any further on the subject," Japan suggested. "Certain countries will already be unhappy you were told before you were supposed to be."

France and England both nodded in agreement. I gaped, they never agreed on anything. To agree on something meant it must've been an important thing to them. It also meant they were probably worried about what would happen when the other countries found out. "Oui," France said. "That would probably be best."

"Indeed," Britain said. "No need to get ahead of ourselves here…"

I looked at the three men, suddenly feeling exceedingly angry about the subject. They were withholding information that directly affected me to protect themselves. True, I'd find out soon what the information was but it still felt as though I wasn't being given any breaks.

Though, that was probably to be expected with how politics usually seemed to work. The people weren't told what could potentially hurt the powers unless the information was accidentally leaked into a places where some of the normal people could find it. Those people then announced to everyone else.

The only other way the information was ever found out was if the powers were tricked into telling you it. There wasn't really a point in trying to trick them into telling me though. I would be told soon anyway. So I began calming myself, telling myself that the situation wasn't worth the anger. I'd be told soon. I would just wait and find out when the meeting was going on.

And as soon as I told myself that it seemed like the meeting would start immediately. All the countries arrived, America running over to me to make sure the cookies had made it safe. But when I looked I saw that the containers had disappeared. "Huh… that's odd," I said, looking at the spot the cookies had been with confusion. "They were just there a minute or two ago."

"Y-you lost them!" America asked, looking heartbroken.

I looked away, uncomfortable with his disappointed gaze piercing me. I shouldn't have felt bad about it, he'd already gotten six cookies and the cookies had been meant to be shared with everyone. But something about how disappointed he looked, as if he were a puppy that had just been kicked, made it hard for me to not feel bad. "I-I'll make you some more later if we can't find them…" I muttered, hoping that would cheer him up.

America perked up slightly. "Really?" he asked. "You really mean it? Pinky swear to it!"

I sighed and held out my pinky, allowing America to wrap his own around. "Yea, I'll make you more cookies later, weather we find the cookies or not," I said, causing him to look even more happy.

"You rock Marissa!" America said.

I smiled, thanking America and telling him that it really wasn't a big deal. And that was the truth. It was an easy recipe and it wasn't like I was paying for the one really wanted to look at it closely enough I suppose they could've come the decision that the cookies were rightfully America's in the long run. They'd been made in his kitchen with his ingredients. I'd only given a little bit of my time and enjoyment to the making of the cookies. Sure, without that time the cookies wouldn't have existed but the majority of what was needed came from America.

"Miss Marissa," Japan said, walking up to me with a kind smile on his face. "Germany would like to speak with you."

I blinked, feeling exceeding confused. What could Germany possibly have to say to me that he couldn't just say during the meeting? Almost all the countries were in the meeting room and the meeting would be starting within a few minutes. Hadn't I already been told that I'd have to wait until everyone else was there to have my questions answered? Then again, that had been mostly because the three countries didn't want to get in trouble. And I'd probably be the one being questioned.

I nodded and followed Japan to where Germany was. We left the meeting room and went down a few halls. A few stragglers for the meeting passed by Japan and I, Canada being one of. I smiled and waved at the poor guy, he was so used to not being noticed and forgotten or mixed up with America. He looked at me with surprise and pointed at himself. Japan stopped and looked at me with a confused expression as I smiled at Canada and nodded to confirm that I was waving at him. "Who are you waving at Miss Marissa?" Japan asked, looking around.

"Canda," I said, glancing at Japan as I pointed at the country in question. "He's right there!"

"O-oh!" Japan said, suddenly looking slightly ashamed as he noticed Canada. "I am so sorry Canada, I didn't even see you there…"

"I-it's fine…" Canada said, smiling happily at the unusualness of being noticed like this.

"Well… Germany is waiting," Japan said, looking at me. "It isn't the best idea to keep him waiting much longer."

"Oh yea," I said before turning back and smiling at Canada again. "Talk to you later Canada?"

"S-sure!" Canada said, nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay then!" I said, waving goodbye and going back to following Japan.

It was odd. I'd become slightly more outgoing since I'd arrived in this world or universe or whatever it was. I usually had the hardest time talking to people if I didn't know them. People had actually told me to my face how shy and quite I was. Though I was a lot more hyper and goofy when people got to me, I seemed like a really quiet person from what people outside of my close group of friends told me. But here… I was easily able to talk to the different countries and not feel anxiety and fear about it. Maybe it was from having seen so much of them in the anime. Maybe that made them seem less like strangers to me. It was the only explanation I had.

"Ah, here we are," Japan said, motioning to a room.

I looked at the doors and nodded, continuing to follow Japan as he opened the door. "Ah, gutan tag,**(1)**" Germany said as Japan and I entered the room. "Japan has informed me that you've been made aware of our suspicions. This is true, yea?"

"Yes…" I said.

Germany let out an aggravated sigh. "And I suppose you are wondering what exactly this means, yea?" he asked.

"Very much so…" I said, not quite sure where Germany was going with these questions.

"Well, I can't really go into specifics before the meeting starts. But you should be briefed with what will be going on during the meeting," Germany said, earning a slightly confused expression from me. "To ensure that you'll be one somewhat of the same page as the other countries during the meeting. It will save time and confusion, most likely frustration as well."

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. "Mkay," I said, sitting down in the chair Germany had begun motioning towards. Anything to begin understanding the situation better was welcome in my book.

**1: Hello  
><strong>**Ha! You probably thought I'd actually get to the meeting in this chapter, huh? Well nope xP I'm just a tease that way ;) You'll just have to wait for the meeting until next chapter... or will I actually address the meeting then? You never know~**

**America: *Still looking for the cookies* Where could they be!**

**Gilbird: *Flies into room with message***

**Hmmm? What's that?**

**Austria: *Takes message* It's addressed to you.**

**...Okay then. *Takes message and looks over it* You've GOT to be kidding me =.=**

**Britain: What is it?**

**Prussia, he's 'kidnapped' the cookies and is demanding free beer for life in exchange for them. And even then he's saying he's still going to keeping a container of them for himself.**

**America: Tha-that fiend! Giving us demands we can't refuse!**

**France: And why can't we refuse them? They are just cookies~**

**America: JUST cookies! Those COOKIES are my FRIENDS and I am their HERO!**

**...You do realize I can just make you more cookies, right?**

**America: It's not the same TT~TT**

***Le sigh* Well you can always just go try to find Prussia and ask for the cookies back, yea?**

**America: ...Rescue mission! ...MISSION IMPOSSIBLE style!**

**Britain: *Le facepalm* Bloody git...**


	8. Germany

It had taken no more than five minutes for Germany to briefly explain what would be happening at the meeting to me. However, briefly explaining why the countries had come to the assumption I was a country without giving too much away before the meeting was another story. By the end of the briefing I had major headache. Germany hadn't been willing to go into how they could tell if I was or wasn't a country and he wouldn't accept any question. If anything I'd ended up more confused than I'd started.

All I understood was that the countries thought I was a new country and that France couldn't rightfully claim me as his territory. The latter of the two had brought me a tremendous amount of joy. To know that I was at least from being under France's control, if only for the time being, was enough comfort to make any confusion worth it."Do you understand somewhat?" Germany asked when he had finished.

"Not especially…" I said with a slight sigh. Germany sighed as well, his aggravation showing. "But I can just wait to get a more thorough explanation during the meeting. It'd probably be easier that way."

Germany nodded and motioned towards Japan. Japan nodded and walked towards the door, closing it on his way out. I looked at Germany with a confused expression. Why had Japan left the two of us alone? The other countries had to be waiting for us. Some were probably getting annoyed with having to wait as well. "I need to talk to you about something," Germany told me, his expression looking serious as ever.

I nodded, my confusion growing while my curiosity suddenly spiked. "Okay," I said, looking at Germany to show he had my full attention.

Germany cleared his throat and leaned forward, looking as though he wasn't quite sure how to word what he was going to say. "You see," he said. "Now that the countries are under the assumption you may be a new country they'll be trying to get you to become their ally or invade you, or invade you once we figure out if you really are a country and find out where your land is to claim you as their territory. You've already seen this from France."

I nodded, furrowing my brows. Was Germany worried for me? That sounded awfully odd to me. He had already seemed to not completely trust me and had no reason to try to help me. Something was up. I was going to figure out what he was up to before he sprung it on me while I had no way to stop him. I wasn't going to be a defenseless little girl about this. I was going to keep my guard up and stay prepared for the worst. Everyone I was meeting was a country after all. In the end all they really cared about how powerful they were in the world and how much land they had.

It was a depressing thought, for all the people I was interacting to only be power hungry and worried about their standing in the world. But that was reality, weather I was in my world or not. I didn't want to think about it that way but it was really difficult not to. I wanted to see them as people I could just be friends with and get along with. But I wasn't sure I, or they, would ever have that blissful privilege. War was a part of them. Power and land was what kept them going. If they had those they had money. If they had money they were fine. If they didn't… they were screwed.

If I ended up being a country I would most definitely end up that way. That was the most depressing thought of all. I wanted to stay somewhat innocent. But in this world, innocence was a one way ticket to becoming a prisoner of another country. Unless you were Lichtenstein, then you were safe with Switzerland to look out for you.  
>"So you see, you should be careful," Germany said, looking at me sternly. "Like if Russia comes and asks you if you want to become one with him. Just say no to him."<p>

I looked at Germany, equally as serious now. "I appreciate you concern," I said, figuring I should get to the point straight away. "And I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful but I feel the need ask… why are you showing this concern for me? You have no reason to show me this type of concern, right?"

Germany blinked, slightly taken aback. He quickly regained his composure though and continued to look at me with the most serious expression he had. Though, it held a small hint of worry now. Weather it was for me a person or him having possibly found out I wasn't sure. "You said you were laying down because you were staying home sick from school before you showed up, yea?" he asked. I nodded, my expression just as serious as before. "Well you don't even look old enough to be out of high school. Your still a child, a baby as a country possibly but still only a child from your perspective, yea?"

I blinked, surprised by the observation Germany had made. Even more so, I was surprised by the fact it caused him concern for myself. Call me overly trusting but the guy seemed really sincere about it. But I also kept the idea in the back of my mind that I could've been being lied to. It seemed odd for Germany to have that sort of concern for someone he didn't know. And I had already lied to him, granted for my own protection and wellbeing but it had still been a lie. So there was nothing to say he wouldn't lie to me for some reason.

Perhaps he was trying to get me as his own ally or perhaps he really was concerned for me. I liked the latter the best but I couldn't allow myself to just choose that. It would be foolish to do so and I couldn't afford to be foolish. Especially not in that type of manner.

"Yea," I said, unable to keep my tone and expression completely serious and unreadable when responding to the question. "I'm not yet a legal adult… so… yea. Legally, I'm still a kid."

I began mentally cursing myself. I had lowered my defenses. I was being the stupid and emotional girl I needed to keep hidden. True I had already shown a lot of my emotions already. But this was not the time to, nor was it the place. I was going to get myself into a troublesome situation that wouldn't be easy to get out of if I wasn't careful. And the situation I was in was already weird enough, I didn't need any more stress or trouble added to it.

Germany nodded. "And you probably still want to be a kid with having grown up a normal human. Becoming a country probably sounds scary and stressful, yea?"

My eyes widened, how had he known what had been on my mind all this time. The huge worries, concerns, and fears that had been rumbling in my head ever since I'd found out about the assumption of me being a country. He knew.

It was unsettling to know he had so easily figured out how I was feeling. Though, maybe all the countries knew how it felt. Maybe, even though they were born as countries, they felt the same worries and fears I was feeling. It wasn't impossible. After all, being a country was a huge responsibility. A responsibility you didn't get to choose. Yea, it was completely believable and possible.

I nodded, feeling more and more emotions rising. "Y-yea…" I said quietly, looking down at my feet as though I'd done something wrong. "S-scary and stressful…"

Germany nodded, still looking serious. Though when I glanced up I saw that my discomfort was making him uncomfortable as well, his expression holding a slight grimace in it. "So I thought I should warn you about the main danger of being a new country."

I looked and nodded, my expression now holding nothing but determination. "Thank you, Mr. Germany Sir!" I said. "I truly appreciate the advice and will definitely take it to heart."

Germany blinked and slightly chuckled before nodding. He then stood up and began walking toward the door, motioning for me to follow him. "Now come along, we need to get to the meeting. I've kept the others waiting for longer than I should've."

I nodded and followed after Germany, wondering what awaited me in the meeting room. So much had already happened. It felt like a ride almost. Up and down, twists and turns. At this point all it could do was keep going. One thing was for certain, no way was the ride going to be a boring one.

**Happy days :) I finished the chapter! Wasn't sure I was going to be able to today, but I did so I'm happy with myself ^.^ I'm hoping this wasn't out of character for Germany... like it was said in the story it could all have an ulterior motive. But I'm still not sure. Sorry if it wasn't in character :( Please tell me so if that's the case so I can try to stay in character for him in later chapters.**

**Gilbird: *Pecks me***

**Ow! What was that for?**

**Gilbird: *Flies over to random note from Prussia***

***Le sigh* Oh yea... that.**

**America: *Humming Mission Impossible theme song as he sneaks up to Prussia's 'secret hideout'/usual bar***

**Prussia: Another beer for the awesome me! Put it on West's tab again!**

**America: *Bursts into bar* You've been caught evildoer! Return the cookies and we'll let you off the hook!**

**Britain and France: *Sweatdrop***

**Britain: Git...**

**France: Idiot...**

**Prussia: Haha! You'll never catch me! I'm too awesome to be foiled so easily! *Runs away***

**Germany: *Is given bill* Vhaaaaaaat! Prussia!**

**Hmmm... this can't end well... *Is grabbed by Prussia***

**Prussia: Haha! Now that stupid America will have to give into my demands of free beer! Without you he can't even have more cookies made!**

**...Why am I getting dragged into this even more?**

**Prussia: Because you're the author and I'm awesome!**

**...This is not awesome :/ (May it be noted that I wouldn't complain if Prussia actually decided to kidnap me ;) It would be majorly awesome if that happened.)**


	9. Meeting?

Meeting time. It'd finally come down to it. I was finally going to be given a thorough explanation and be told what the countries would do with me. Perhaps I'd even be let known to how we could find out if I was actually a new country or not. All of those things were important and I needed to know them. I was no longer nervous or worried about the meeting. The countries had sufficiently calmed me down on that subject.

However, I still had an immense amount of worry for if I turned out to be a country. It was a huge responsibility and, as Germany had put it, it sound incredibly scary and stressful. But I couldn't let myself worry over something like that. There was no proof to support the idea yet and if it did end up being true then it was out of my hands. Completely out of control and inevitable. So there wasn't any sense in continuing to worry over it.

That reasoning, which my mind kept saying was so logical, didn't quell the worries though. It may have dimmed them, but they weren't completely gone. They probably would never be completely gone unless it turned out I was still a normal person. But forcing the thoughts and worries aside for the time being was a good idea. I pushed them down, attempting to suppress them until I could possibly handle them in a better way.

"Germany, Marissa!"

I looked and saw Italy running toward Germany and I, Spain and Romano both following behind him. Romano looked slightly annoyed to have to be around Germany, but that wasn't really surprising. Spain, however, appeared to be just as carefree as Italy was. A friendly smile adorned his lips and he was walking with a bounce in his step. It was amazing he and Romano had managed to live together as long as they had with how different they were, though I suppose that what made Romano able to tolerate Italy.

I smiled at the three men. I had to hope Romano wouldn't be in vain. But that, of course, would most likely be in vain. Romano glared at me, seemingly looking me over before frowning even more. "I don't like her fratello!" he said, causing me to frown and cross my arms.

"Ah… Romano, don't be like that!" Italy said. "Marissa is very nice and fun~"

"I don't like her," Romano said, his tone adamant.

"But Romano~" Spain said, looking at Romano before gesturing to me. "This senorita**(1)**, she's muy bonita**(2)**, no?"  
>I blushed, having taken a two years of Spanish and remembering what different words meant. "Uh… um…" I said. "Gracias…<strong>(3)<strong>"

Spain grinned happily. "You know Spanish?" he asked, looking slightly excited.

"Si,**(4)** but only a bit," I answered, Germany telling Italy to get the four of us into the meeting room soon and walking in himself.

Romano continued to glare at me thus earning a glare from me. "Hey, what the hell is your issue?" I asked, catching him and the others off guard. "I've never even talked to you and you're already giving me the death glare!"

I blinked, suddenly realizing what I had just done. I'd snapped at Romano. Just randomly snapping at people wasn't really like me. I tended to ignore annoyance and just act like it wasn't there. Something inside me was changing though. I felt the need to be slightly more outspoken and let it be known if I was unhappy about something. What could've been causing it though?

I covered my mouth, blushing from the outburst. Romano hadn't exactly done anything to deserve that treatment from me. I mean, he had expressed dislike for me before ever even talking to me but he had that right. What I had done felt inappropriate and out of line to me. It felt downright rude. Even if I had been upset about not being given a chance I should've been able to control myself. What was going on?

"I-I…" I began, only to be cut off by Romano beginning to burst into laughter.

Spain and Italy looked at Romano with surprise. "Y-you've got balls, ragazze!**(5)**" Romano said, regaining his composure and smirking at me.

"Thank you?" I said, not sure how to take what Romano had said.

Spain chuckled. "Coming from Romano, that's a compliment~"

I nodded smiled, hoping that mean I wasn't completely hated anymore. "Ah… we should all probably go to the meeting," Italy said, grinning at the outcome of my calling Romano out.

"Si, that would be un muy bueno**(6)** idea, Italy," Spain agreed, walking back to the meeting room. "Talk to you later, senorita!**(1)**"

I nodded and smiled at Spain. I didn't know much about him from the show, having only seen a bit of World Series before ending up here. He seemed genuinely friendly and maybe I'd be able to pick up a bit more Spanish through talking with him. Wouldn't that be awesome? To go back home and be able to speak more Spanish than the teacher had taught me? She'd think I was actually studying on my own time when I'd really just be having a blast with supposedly fictional characters.

"Come on Marissa~" Italy said happily, Roman following after him.

"Okay," I said, smiling as I began following the two Italian brothers.

My hand was suddenly grabbed from behind though. I looked back and saw Prussia standing behind me, a smirk on his face. I looked towards the door and saw that both Italy and Romano had already entered the meeting room. I had a sinking suspicion that this wasn't a good situation for me. Prussia was into claim countries 'vital regions' as his own. No way was I going to let that happen, no matter how much of a fan girl I may have been.

But how could I get away from the ex-nation? He was obviously stronger than me. Sure Germany would probably tell him to release me but that didn't mean Prussia would listen. And there was no grantee the nations would get out in time to stop him. The best idea was to ask him to let go of me because of the meeting and if that didn't work… yell for help. "Um… hello," I said, hoping the first option would work. "Could you please let go of me? I really need to go into the meeting room."

Prussia laughed, why I wasn't sure of. "I'm sure you'd rather hang out with the awesomeness that is me than go in there, yea?" he asked.

"That proposition sounds fun…" I said, probably not catching the underlying meaning as to what he was saying. "But I really need to go in there…"

"Hmmm, but one of my friends said you really don't anymore," Prussia answered, laughing. "He's said that he already claimed you~"

I looked at Prussia, suddenly feeling slightly confused. It was obvious he was talking about France but Germany had said that he couldn't actually claim me like that. It didn't make sense. Was France just being stubborn about that fact or was Germany wrong? Either was completely possible. I genuinely hoped the latter idea wasn't the case though.

"I was told he couldn't rightfully do that though…" I said.

Prussia shrugged, his smirk staying on his face. "Technicalities are unawesome so I tend to not pay them any attention," he said, beginning to pull me away from the meeting room.

"H-hey, I'm not sure where you're trying to go with this but I really need to go to the meeting!" I said, becoming somewhat distressed. "So please let go!"

Prussia laughed, looking amused as I began attempting to struggling out of his grasp. I had to do something, and fast, if I wanted to get away. I opened my mouth to begin yelling but my mouth was quickly covered, a cloth in the new person's hand. "Smells funny, no?*****"

My eyes widened. That was France's voice. I was screwed, weather it was in a literal or metaphorical sense was debatable. It would probably be in both if I wasn't helped soon. "Mmm-mmph!" I cried, trying my best to not breath.

Though I eventually had to breath and my world suddenly began darkening and becoming fuzzy. I struggled, though it was too weak to have any effect at all. France chuckled, wrapping a free arm around my body. "Don't worry chérie, you'll have a great time being my territory," he said.

No, I didn't want to be kidnapped or become anyone's territory. But there really wasn't anything I could do to stop it from happening, not on my own or in the state I was in. I was helpless at this point. There was no stopping France and Prussia.

The thought made me slightly sad. I didn't want to be a damsel in distress. I wanted to be able to protect myself, not wait for someone to save me. But how could I do anything else when the circumstances had taken this kind of turn?

"H-help…" I managed to say quietly, knowing that help was needed and I couldn't just think I could save myself from this.

My world darkened as my body went limp, the last thing I saw being Prussia smirking with the little bird on his shoulder.

**1: Girl  
>2: Very pretty<br>****3: Thank you  
>4: Yes<br>5: Girl (tends to be used for teenagers)  
>6: Very good<br>*The comment on the cloth smelling funny was inspired through the commentary on the season 1 DVD for the episode where France asks Britain to marry him, the commentaries are hilarious and I had to throw that in there xD  
>Wow... I actually had planned to do the meeting this chapter but it turned out way different xD Not gonna complain though, makes it easier to write more awkward situations with France in the future and those are funny to write xD But anyway... um... I was only able to write this because Prussia allowed me to :**

**Prussia: Yes, and now you will make me more awesome cookies!** (Has already eaten all the cookies)

**...And I suppose next you're going to tell me to make you a sammich?**

**Prussia: Yes, you are my hostage and a woman. That's double the reason that you have to do what I tell you.**

**...You're asking to get slapped. I hope you realize that.**

**France: Honhonhon~ Prussia, I've come to visit you with Spain!**

**...Oh crap... that means the whole Bad Touch Trio is here! I'm doomed!**

**Spain: Don't worry senorita! *Suddenly glomps me***

**Crap... I need an adult...**

**France: I can be your adult~**

**An adult who isn't going to try to rape me...**

**Japan and Germany: *Suddenly appear* **

**Japan: Release her at once!**

**Germany: And give me the money you owe me for the tab you started in my name, Prussia!**

**...That was convenient ^.^**

**Prussia: Crap! *Runs away***

**France: Oui, crap indeed! *Runs away as well***

**Spain: Ah... I'm just going to go with them~ *Runs away, still holding me***

**Damnit! This sucks...**


	10. Hallways

Consciousness was slowly returning to me, though with how I felt I really didn't want it to. My head was throbbing, I felt nauseous, there was a horrible taste in my mouth, and everything smelled awful. I wanted to go back to unconsciousness. I felt like crap.

But it felt like I was lying on something soft, something extremely warm and comfortable. I forced myself to open my eyes. Bad idea. Very, very bad idea. It was so bright. Far too bright for me to handle with the pounding headache I had. Was this what a hangover felt like? If it was I was never, ever, going to drink for as long as I lived. This was pure torture and I wanted to kill whoever was responsible for it.

Then I remembered. France had covered my mouth and nose with a cloth when I was about to cry out for help. He and Prussia had kidnapped me. This realization made me open my eyes, sit up, and look around again, wincing at the pain it brought me.

I immediately realized that I was in a very fancy looking bed, covered by a very warm and soft blanket. The room I was in was decorated to look expensive and fancy. There was an expensive looking table, a beautifully placed mirror built onto it, on one side of the room. Two identical bedside tables, built to match the makeup table, were on both sides of me The walls were white with gorges gold moldings and painting along them. Small round mirrors were located all around the room, built high into the walls. The carpet was a shade of beige that complimented the rest of the room nicely. And to top it all off, in the middle of the room was an enormous, beautifully crafted chandelier. All in all, the room was exceedingly fancy, but in a tastefully eloquent way.

I looked around, attempting to find the source of the blindingly bright light that was causing my head to throb so much more than it had to. A large window caught my eyes. I glared at it, reaching over to the bedside table on my right and grabbing my glasses. I put them on got out of the bed. I then proceeded to walk over to the window and looked out of it. Outside was a large garden. It was beautiful, flowers of all kinds and colors bringing it a bright and friendly beauty that only a garden of its caliber could hold.

I had to admit, no matter how much displeasure it may have brought me, France had taste. The house was obviously his with how over the top fancy it was. But it was presented in such a way that left me both breathless and speechless. If I'd come of my own accord I would have been extremely happy with were I was.

I suddenly noticed that I wasn't in my regular clothes. I was in an unbearably girly outfit. It was frilly and fancy. This wasn't right at all. Where were the T-shirt and jeans I'd been wearing earlier? America had taken me shopping to get some clothes and I'd gotten, somewhat to his surprise but approval, some blue jeans, gaming and TV show T-shirts, some comfortable pajamas, underwear, and, of course, the 'necessities'. He had called the shirts cool, which I thought was pretty awesome. But now… now I looked frilly and girly.

True, I was a girl but that didn't mean I wanted to look like this! It felt stupid and impractical to look that way. And it didn't look good to me. T-shirts and jeans, they looked good. They looked cool. And above all else, they were comfortable. I would, hands down, chose comfort over style any day of the week. It may not have made me the 'cutest' or 'hottest' looking but it made me the most comfortable and that was what I cared about. Yea, I made myself look presentable, I even went for looking nice on special occasions, but I wasn't going to go out of my way to wear something that made me look hot if it was uncomfortable. No way, no how.

I quickly went to work, looking for my clothes. But they were nowhere to be found. The only things that were in drawers and such were even more frilly and fancy clothes. It wasn't right. It was downright stupid. I wanted my clothes but if seemed that I wasn't going to find them in the room I was in.

I suddenly realized something. Someone else had changed me into the clothes while I'd been unconscious. What if it had been Prussia or France… or worse, both? I shuddered at the thought. I had to hope it hadn't been, hope it had been a maid or something like that.

I began walking towards the door that would lead outside the room I was in. I would have to find my normal clothes and way out. Though if I found the way out first I would gladly leave the clothes and try to get back to America first and put on different clothes. That was my main mission and if I failed it… well it was probably game over for me on getting out for a really long time if not forever. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

The door swung open, soundlessly, and I walked out. My feet, which were only covered with socks, I had also made note to find my shoes, slid across the marble flooring. Crap. Crap. **Crap**. I had not friction and the socks were making the floor slick. But if I took them off my feet would be making noise as the slapped against the marble flooring. It would be difficult but I'd have to walk as quietly possible. I took off the socks and threw them back into the room.

Tiptoeing through the hall, I made my way through the overly large house. Though I was tempted to I stopped myself from stopping to look at the different pieces of artwork that like the hallway walls. It wouldn't do well to stop and look around like a tourist. Voices suddenly appeared from down the hall. _Shit_.  
>I quickly, and silently, ran to the nearest window and hid behind the long drapes by it. "Oui,<strong>(1)<strong> she's this way."

That was France. No doubt about it. I held my breath, afraid that I'd be caught if I even dared to breath. "She's still asleep then?"

That had sounded like Spain. So he was in on it as well. He was a part of the Bad Touch Trio so I shouldn't have been surprised. But it still hurt a bit. He had seemed really nice and now he was in on the kidnapping of me. This sucked. I suppose it was what I got for having thought I had a character figured out when I'd barely watched the parts of the show that they were in.

"Yea, but she'll be waking up soon~"

Prussia, definitely Prussia. I was in a lot of trouble if I got caught. All three members of The Trio were there. It wouldn't end well at all… not for me at least. I felt my hands begin shaking, becoming clammy and cold. I quickly grabbed the pants I was wearing, fearing that curtains would begin shaking if I wasn't careful.

A chirp suddenly sounded in my left ear. I glanced and saw that Gilbird was now sitting on my shoulder, nudging my head and chipping loudly. My eyes widened. I was going to be caught if I didn't get Gilbird to be quite. I looked at him and put a finger over my mouth, hopping he would understand. But it only seemed to make him become louder.

"Hmmm? Where'd your little bird friend go, Prussia?" Spain asked.

A few moments went by, presumably from Prussia looking around, before a response was made. "…I don't know, Gilbird!"

Gilbird chirped loudly. I was so screwed. I shut my eyes, preparing to face what would inevitably happen. But, suddenly, Gilbird hopped up and flew off, probably going back to Prussia. "Ah! There he is! See how awesome he is! Coming at my command!"

I sighed quietly, relieved. "Oui,**(1)** but he is not as cool as Pierre~" France retorted as they all began walking again.

"Which one?" Spain asked.

"Why, all of them of course!" France said, laughing jovially.

Soon the laughter and sound of footsteps died from the distance they'd made so I left from behind the curtain and began tiptoeing down the hall again. But… before long the inevitable happened. "Sacrebleu!**(2)**" France yelled. "She's gone!"

"This is so un-awesome!" Prussia shouted.

"Crap…" I said, beginning to run down the halls, in search of a new hiding place.

**1: Yes  
><strong>**2: Oh my**  
><strong>*Is grumbling about being held hostage in both story and authors note*<strong>

**Prussia: Keskeskeskes~ You know you're happy about it! *Slings arm around my shoulder***

***Le sigh* You're drunk, huh?**

**Prussia: Only a little~ *Smirks***

**Great, just great... please tell me it at least wasn't one of you who changed me...**

**France: Oui~ It was one of my maids but I'm sure you would've liked it better if it was me, oui? ;)**

**Not even if your dreams :/**

**Spain: Come on chica~ You can have fun with this you know!**

**:I I blame America and Prussia for this...**

**America: *Suddenly appears* What'd I do!**

**...You take cookies way to seriously! Now get me out of here!**

**America: No, you're being mean :/ *Disappears***

**Damnit!**


	11. Hiding

I ran and ran, my feet slapping loudly against the floor. I had to either find a way out or find a hiding place I wouldn't be found in and fast. If I didn't I'd be found and… well I didn't want to think about what the Bad Touch Trio might do to me. They'd gotten their name for a reason, hadn't they?

It seemed like forever before I finally reached another door. What in the world could've made France want such long freaking hallways? It was like he had planned for something like this. A possible country… or definite country being kidnapped by him and trying to escape. Thus, he made unnaturally long hallways to tire them out. It was genius… if it were true that is.

I finally skidded to a stop. This allowed for the sound of shoes beating against the floor in the distance to be heard._ Craaaaaaap_. I quickly opened the door I'd stopped in front of and closed it behind me. I looked around, attempting to survey my surroundings in as little time as possible. I was in a bedroom, one that looked even nicer than the one I'd been in before. A large picture of France was in it along with an open closet that held an overabundance of his uniform.

Shit. I was in France's room. If I was found in here matters could be made worse. But with the approaching footsteps I couldn't exactly leave. "Maybe she's in there!"

That was Prussia. They were closing in on me. "Honhonhon~" France laughed, intrigued by the idea. "In my room?"

I quickly, yet silently, dove under the oversized bed. It was an obvious hiding place but it was all I had at that point. I looked out from the small gap between the floor and the bottom of the blanket. From there I could see everything that was going on.

The door suddenly swung open and three pairs of feet walked in. "Hmmm," Prussia said, walking towards the bed.

I looked at the feet worriedly, my heart rate rapidly increasing. France walked over to the closet and looked inside it. "Come out come out, mon petit chérie~**(1)**" he called.

I shuddered. No way did I want France to find me. He was my biggest worry of the Bad Touch Trio. He was the most touchy out of the three of them by far. He'd already proved this. I didn't want to give him the chance to prove it any further.

Prussia, much to my relief and jubilation, walked away from the bed and went over to the curtain on the other end of the room. He drew them back and sighed in aggravation. Why couldn't they just give up and go to a different room? A room where I wasn't hiding. That sounded like a perfect plan to me.

I looked around. Where had Spain gone? Wherever it was, it was out of my line of vision. That made me uncomfortable. He could've already gone off to another room for all I knew. I had no way of knowing and not knowing was enough to get me caught if I managed to make it out of the room

No, I had to be confident if I wanted to have a chance at getting away. But that was difficult when I was so close to being caught. But I would force myself to stay calm and levelheaded. I could think in that condition. Being panicked would make my thought process be useless.

"Hmmm… I don't think she's in here…" France said, sounding disappointed. "We've spent enough time looking around here. She'll find he way out if we don't find her soon…"

"Si."

So Spain was still in the room. That was a good thing to know. Having that knowledge allowed me to feel a bit more in control of the situation. No one would ever hear me complaining about that. It was a privilege that I appreciated to the fullest extent. "Hmmm… maybe we could split up to try to find her?" Prussia asked, walking over towards France.

"We would be able to cover more ground that way," France agreed.

"I have no objections to the idea~" Spain said, finally walking back into sight.

"Then it's settled~" France said. "Prussia, you'll go towards the front door. Spain, you'll keep going down this hall. And I'll go back towards the room we initially left her in."

"The awesome me will easily find her!" Prussia gloated.

Not if I had my way. If things went accordingly to my plan then I would have made my out of and far away from wherever this place was. I'd find someone I knew, someone who would help me.

The most friendly faces at this point would've been Germany, Italy, and America. I trusted them the most. Japan and Britain hadn't really done anything to not get my trust but… they hadn't really earned it like the others had. And Romano… I had a feeling the moment he saw France he'd run away. Though, as long as he took me with him while running away, that wouldn't be anything worth complaining about. And if I found Canada I could hide behind him and maybe nobody would see me. He also might try to help me as well. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if I somehow managed to run into Russia… he was really scary and I didn't want to go to his house. Sure he had the Baltic states there… or were they independent now? Well either way… he was really scary and I didn't want to go to his house.

"Haha," laughed Spain. "If you say so amigo~**(2)**"

And with that the three men walked out of the room, shut the door and went their separate ways. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I'd actually managed to not get caught when they were so close to catching me. How, I wasn't sure. But I felt no reason to complain. If anything I probably felt overly confident from the success. I knew I shouldn't let it go to my head, I would get cocky if I did, but it wasn't like I could just switch something like that off. Yea, I could try to repress the feelings of being upset or worried, never fully succeeding in even that mind you, but good feelings like over-confidence… those were much more difficult to get ride of.

I crawled out from under the bed and roamed over to the door. All I had to do was find my way to the front door and make a run for it. That was really all I could do. And if I ran into Prussia on the way, or Spain and France for that matter, I'd have to run as fast as I possibly could. There was no other choice at this point. I couldn't be caught. I couldn't and wouldn't let that happen.

I knew my mission and the danger it entailed. I could easily be caught no matter how much I tried to avoid that and fought back. But that didn't mean I wouldn't try. It was like I'd heard, "you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't make." If I didn't try I would definitely be caught. I would never get away if I didn't try. I may never get away if I did try but I wouldn't know until I tried. It was my duty towards myself to do this.

I took a deep breath and let it out, preparing myself for my attempt at escaping. I grabbed the door knob/handle and turned it, opening the door to what could lead to either my escape or capture. I walked out closed the door, my stomach flipping from the nervousness and fear that had suddenly taken over. All feelings of confidence suddenly vanished as I noticed something that would very well stop my attempt at escaping.

"Hola senorita~**(3)**"

**1: My little darling  
><strong>**2: Friend  
>3: Hello miss<br>Dude... what the frick Spain! I thought I actually had a chance at escaping!**

**Spain: I'm sorry?**

**France: Don't be, we are just too sneaky and brilliant for her young mind to comprehend~**

**:I You wish. And there's not even anything to hing that you're there as well! For all we could know at this point is Spain is the only one of you who's smart enough to have done this!**

**Prussia: Pffft, like my awesomeness wouldn't outwit Spain!**

**...  
><strong>**...  
>...<strong>

**N****ot even gonna go there, don't feel like hurting your feelings that badly.**

**Prussia: What's that supposed the mean!**

**You know what it means.**

**Prussa: Uh... ah... uhg! Just get back to work making me more awesome cookies!**

**Say please and I might consider it.**

**Prussia: Whatever happened to compliant hostages? They were awesome :/**

**France: Oui... they were quite nice~**

**=.= Wow...**


	12. Instinct

Spain. He had been standing right out side the door, a goofy grin plastered on his face, waiting for me to leave. He had known the entire time. He had tricked me into thinking I was in control when, in all reality, he was a few steps ahead of me the entire time.

"No…" I whispered, feeling completely crushed.

"Si senorita,**(1)**" Spain said, still grinning. "Ah, don't look so sad. You had un muy bueno hiding spot!"

It was over. I'd been caught. It was too anticlimactic for me to even handle. No… I couldn't let it end like this. I had to keep trying. I couldn't just give up. I turned and ran. I ran as fast as I could. I ran away from Spain. Ran away from the fear of being caught. But still, it wasn't enough.

I'd never been a fast runner. I was probably one of the slowest runners you could ever meet. It was pathetic really. Not only was I slow, I was out of shape. I ran out of air fast. My lungs burned and my legs ached. I'd already been running to find a room not long before this and now I was trying to run again. It was way more running than my body was used to. Combined with the lack of speed I had, I was easy enough to catch.

Spain tackled me before I'd even reach the curtains I'd been hiding behind earlier. We both crashed to the ground, me trapped in Spain's arms and under his body. I began struggling, squirming and kicking as he began standing up. "Let go!" I yelled, trying to escape.

I was giving it all my might. I was panicked and scared. I wanted out. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to go back home and be safe in my bed. Tears streamed down my face. I hated being able to be caught so easily. I hated being so defenseless. I hated being a captive like this. I hated being a world that was supposed to be fictional.

It had always sounded so cool to me, meeting fictional characters from a show or book that I really liked. But so far… it really wasn't. Sure, parts of it had been really neat but this… it was enough to make me wish none of it had happened. I'd give up the memories of making past and cookies with Italy, being suckered out of six cookies by America, finding out Germany had a soft side, being told I had balls by Romano, showing Canada that I noticed him. I'd have given up all those memories and more if it would've gotten me out of the situation I was in.

"Calm down!" Spain said, trying his best to hold me still.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, not caring what Spain told me.

Footsteps sounded from down the hall in both directions. That would be France and Prussia. The tears stopped. Pure terror took over and instead of crying, yelling to be let go, and struggling a new instinct took effect.

Screaming. Blood curdling screaming. I couldn't even tell it was coming from me. It sounded distant to me. Like someone else in a far away land. And the violent thrashing I was now doing… it felt like someone had taken over my body and forcing my action. Everything I was doing at that point was purely instinctual.

It was an odd feeling to have your instincts in complete control of you. Like… you have to do what your body is telling you to do or you'll die. Maybe not die in my case, but I'd lose all of my freedom and… worse stuff could happen.

Something suddenly went over my mouth. My head felt light again and whatever smelled bad. I opened my eyes, snapping out of the terror induced actions. Through my blurred vision I saw France looking into my eyes, grimacing but grinning at the same time as he held a cloth against my mouth. "That's right… just calm down and take a little nap," he said.

Somehow, in an odd way, France's voice was eerily soothing. My eyes drooped, feeling heavy as lead weights. My head fell slightly, making it so my forehead was resting against France's shoulder. "Wanna go home…" I murmured, France taking the cloth off of my mouth. "Wanna… go… home."

"You are home ma chérie~**(2)**" France cooed. "It's just a new home for you."

I groaned, passing out in Spain's arms and resting against France's shoulder. A fan girl's dream come true possibly, but it was the last place I wanted to be at that point.

* * *

><p>I groaned. My headache had worsened. It was downright horrible. And to top it off, my entire body ached. It was all France's fault. I could remember that much. It was him and his damn chloroform. That crap had aftereffects that sucked worse than the head cold I'd been dealing with before appearing in the Hetalia world.<p>

Ibuprofen. I needed some of that glorious, life saving medicine. I felt like I would surely die without it. I'd have to open my eyes and get up to get medicine though. If I opened my eyes I would have to face the light and, with the pounding headache I had, that sounded like torture. Getting up was a whole other matter. I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to move with how sore and achy I was. But the prospect of medication sounded like something that would far outweigh any pain that getting it would cause.  
>I had made my choice. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find that the room I was in was fairly dark. There was a bit of lighting to the room but it all came from the moon and stars outside the window. The lights were off, leaving the room to be washed in a light blue hue from the natural lighting. It was quite a bit prettier than when the lights were actually on, breath taking actually.<p>

I attempted to sit up but quickly found it to be impossible. A groan left my mouth from the aches my body held. Not only was the pain restricting my movement but I also found that my hands and feet were bound. The combined efforts of the two made it impossible to lift myself up more than a few centimeters.

I shut my eyes, wincing from the aftereffects of the chloroform. "Uhg… make it stop," I muttered, wishing for the pain to stop.

"Huh?"

I opened my eyes, a grimace still on my face as I looked around. Prussia was slumped against the wall, half asleep as he looked around. Great. Just great. Not only was I immobile but Prussia was keeping guard on me. Granted, he was sleeping on the job. But still.

Prussia rubbed his eyes and scratched his head, slowly waking up. It reminded me of most of my mornings. I had a difficult time waking up for school and it tended to take forever. I'd just sit for five or ten minutes, trying to wake up. And that was after I'd managed to muster up the energy to sit up. It was a long process, one that drove my parents crazy.

My parents… I wondered if they noticed I was gone or if time was different here than it was at home. There was no way to tell until I found a way home. …If I found a way home.

No. I wouldn't think like that. I'd already broken down crying. I couldn't allow that to happen again. I had to be strong. I'd been telling myself that a lot since I'd showed up but how far had it gotten me? Nowhere. It seemed like telling myself that was making matters worse if nothing else. But, at the same time, I could let myself get down about what was happening. That wouldn't help matters.

Prussia stood up, stretching as he walked over to me. I looked up at him, glaring as he smirked down at me. "Hmmm, I should probably alert France that you're awake~" he said. "So come on."

Prussia bent down and lifted me up, leaving the confines of the warm covers behind. I groaned. Pain raced through my body as I was moved. Every step he took felt like a huge pot hole when riding on the school bus and being soar. It was agonizing.

Prussia walked in silence, Gilbird sleeping atop his head and me groaning every so often. Though, soon enough we reached the door that led to France's room. Spain sat, slumped against the door asleep. Prussia nudged Spain with his foot, earning a grunt from Spain. "Wake up," Prussia said, looking slightly annoyed.

Spain looked up sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Ah… she's awake?" he asked.

"What's it look like?" Prussia asked, looking annoyed.

"Don't get angry with me," Spain grumbled.

Both of them were, very obviously, tired and wanted to continue the sleeping. But they had been given orders… or maybe they knew what they had to do was a better way of wording it. I didn't think France had outright given them orders but I think they both knew that France wanted to be alerted when I woke up. Being friends, they had to have some sort of feeling of loyalty to what each other wanted.

Spain stood up and stretched, looking down at me with a slightly goofy grin. "You put up quite a fight, chica~**(3)**" he said.

I groaned in response, Prussia having shifted. "Just knock on the door," he said. "I want to go back to sleep and the sooner this is taken care of, the sooner that can happen."

Spain nodded in agreement and knocked on the door. "Señor**(4)** France~" he said. "She's awake."

"Ah~" came a response from inside. "Come in."

**1: Yes girl  
>2: My dear<br>****3: Girl  
><strong>**4: Mr.  
><strong>**...*Is not in the mood to argue for once***

**France: Cheer up ma chérie~**

**... *Looks away***

**Prussia: *Le sigh* She's been like this for a day now :( She's no fun to mess with if she doesn't react!**

**...Sorry...**

**Spain: Mi amiga would like to announce that she's dedicating this chapter to someone.**

**Yea, I didn't know this person personally, only through videos, but he made a huge impact in my life. That person is Edd Gould from Eddsworld. May he rest in peace. Thanks for inspiring me in my art and attempts to make people laugh with your videos. Also, thanks for all the things you helped me through just by posting a video or comic that brought a smile to my face.**

**Prussia: Now cheer up! Nobody wants to see you all mopey like this!**

**...You sounded like you actually care, Prussia.**

**Prussia: ...I just want to resume having fun when I mess with you!**

***Giggles* If you say so~**

**France: Honhonhon~ That's the happiest we've seen you today! Now stay that way~**

***Grins* Okay... *Is suddenly free of ropes that kept me from running away* Freedom! *Runs away***

**Prussia: Damn it!**

**Spain: Haha~ Also, mi amiga wanted me to tell you, there may be an update tomorrow. But Friday through, most likely, Sunday there won't be any updates. Sorry!**

**Yea... *is still running* I won't be home and will probably be without a computer so I figured I'd give ya'll a heads up~ See ya!**


	13. Territory

Spain opened the door, letting Prussia walk in and set me on a chair. I was thankful he had set me in a seated position, given that laying in the tiny, yet incredibly comfy, chair would have ended in me either falling off or just being in an uncomfortable position that added to aches already filling my body.

France walked in front of me as Spain shut the door, making it so the room became darker. Again, the only lighting for the room was the moonlight and starlight that showed through the window. I glared at the three men as they all looked at me, each looking slightly satisfied. What did they have to be satisfied about? Kidnapping? Chasing down a seventeen year old girl? I didn't think either of those sounded like something to be proud about.

"It's good to see you ma chérie~**(1)**" France said, strutting over to me. Once he was less than a foot away he stooped down so we were at eye level with each other. "You really had us worried when we couldn't find you."

Worried? Yea right. Maybe scared that I'd escaped but not worried. At least not for me. For themselves? That was a completely different matter. But for France to imply that they had been worried about me was an outright lie.

"Now, now chérie,**(2)**" France said, cupping my face with his hand. "Why do you look so angry? It doesn't suit your pretty face~"

My glare only intensified as I pulled my face away. "Why do you think?" I asked, beginning to lose grip on my anger.

It was slipping; slowly, but slipping all the same. If I didn't keep a grip on my anger an emotions I could end up saying things that I would regret. But that was easier said than done. When you had a perverted Frenchman and his two, equally as perverted, friend holding you hostage and talking to you as if you were a little kid who would be easily swayed with a cookie or some candy it's, not so surprisingly, difficult to stay in control of your emotions.

Prussia laughed, a smirk appearing on his groggy face.. He walked over and pushed France aside. "You have attitude," he said, getting into my face. "I like attitude in a girl~"

I backed away as best I could but Prussia only kept getting closer. My anger was quickly transforming into fear. I had no way to fight back. I was defenseless and that was a terrifying reality for me.

A whimper escaped causing Prussia and France to both chuckle. Spain… he had fallen asleep, sitting in another chair in the room. I wished for that luxury. To just be able to sleep peacefully with no fear. But there was no chance of that happening at any time soon. No. Not with how things had turned out for me.

Prussia came closer, close enough to where I could feel his breath tickling my neck, and whispered into my ear. "Your vital region… it's going to be invaded very soon~"

My eyes widened and instinct took over again. It was a knee jerk reaction in all honesty and literalness. A gasp left Prussia as he began backing away, moaning and groaning. "M-mine five meters!" he gasped out.

France winced, looking at Prussia with pity before turning his attention back to me. He tsked. As if I had done something wrong and was disappointed in me. As if I were a small child who was about to be reprimanded. I had acted purely out of fear and the need for self-defense. And I was being tsked at.

"That wasn't nice chérie,**(2)**" France said. "You should be nicer to your leader's friends."

I looked at France, shock on my face. He thought I would see him as a commander? He was actually that delusional and stubborn? It was unbelievable. "What are you talking about?"

It was the only thing I could think of to say. I was in too much disbelief to think of anything else. France smiled and laughed, grabbing my face again. "You're my territory now~" he said. "That makes me your leader!"

My mouth hung as I gaped at France. How could he even say that? It wasn't even for sure that I was a country. He couldn't claim me as his territory. There was no basis to it with the lack of proof he had. And if I was a country we didn't even know where my land was. And I couldn't just be claimed! Could I?

I didn't know much about how claiming land as a country's territory went but if the land was already a country wouldn't it have some sort of protection? Wouldn't I have to agree of be invaded and forced? …I was being forced though. Was I like America when he was younger then? Was I to be cared for by a country and have to declare war if I wanted my freedom?

Or was I already in war? I had been dodging metaphorical bullets all day. And, in a sense, it was like I was lying on the battlefield, near death. It was inevitable too. I wouldn't survive. I'd become part of France if my medic didn't show up to help me. I was about to bleed out. I was about to die.

"Y-you don't even know if I'm a country!" I yelled, grasping for anything that might slow the blood flow. I'd be my own medic if I had to.

"Ohonhonhon~" France laughed. "But I do know now ma petit!**(3)** You see, there's a test that one can take if we aren't sure they're a country. You take a strand of hair, a small sample of saliva, and blood. Those get sent to a lab and tested with different chemicals.

"If samples don't react to them then the subject isn't a country or territory. However, if they react, as yours did, the results come out as positive. Like it or not… you are a country~

"But, I suppose that's not really accurate. You aren't really a country, you're a territory now. My territory."

My world crashed to the ground. I was a country. I was responsible for the lives of people. I was in a shit load of trouble. I'd never get to be a kid again. I'd have to take on responsibility and the troubles of being a country. It was the scariest and most overwhelming sounding thing in the world. "I-I… I don't want to be a country!" I cried, tears suddenly springing to my eyes. "I can't deal with that kind of responsibility! Hell! I can't even manage to keep my room at home or locker at school clean! There's no way I can manage a whole country!"

France smiled, Prussia beginning to regain his composure. "You won't have to~" France said, brushing a lock of my hair behind my ear. "You'll be under my rule so you won't have to worry about anything aside from the orders I give you."

I looked at France and spoke before I could stop myself. "I don't want to be under your rule! You wine guzzling frog!"

France blinked, looking taken aback. The only one that talked to him like that was Britain and I'd never actually been around when he had. "Y-you will be my territory, weather you like it or not!" he shouted, looking slightly angry.

"No!" I screamed. "I won't be your bloody territory!"

A gasp sounded as I snapped out of my shock. A stinging pain loomed on my cheek where contact had just been made with France's hand. The tears that were in my eyes as France looked down at me, red-faced and breathing heavily. It was the fatal blow. I had died.

I hung my head, beginning to sob. "Take her to her room," France said, glaring down at me. "I need to give Britain a call. I think I may have an idea where my new territory may be."

Prussia walked over, slightly limping from the pain he was still feeling, and picked me up. I didn't struggle or fight back. I had lost. I was already dead. Nothing would change that. No matter how much I fought or ran I would always be dead on the battle field.

Once Prussia, Gilbird, and I had arrived in bedroom I was set on the bed. I sat and cried as Prussia walked out of the room. But before he left he turned to me and glared. "You will pay for the pain you caused to my five meters," he said.

I continued to cry, not caring about his words. He shut the door, leaving me to myself. "Th-this can't be real…" I sobbed aloud, finally losing consciousness naturally a few minutes later.

**1: My dear  
>2: Dear<br>****3: Little one  
><strong>**I'm back! And on spring break no less! Just gotta say, this weekend was an amazing experience! Not gonna go into what went down but I will say that I feel like a totally different person, in a good way, because of it :) Oh! And I managed to lose Prussia ;) I'm hiding out in the last place Prussia would look for me... Austria's house ^.^**

**Austria: Yes, yes. Now get back to practicing!**

**Huh... yes sir. Thank you for letting me stay here. *Practices piano to fulfill requirements of staying there***

**Chibitalia: Ah~ Pretty music ^/ /** **/^**(Is just being nice TT~TT)

**:D Gratzi!**(Thank you)

**Chibitalia: Prego~**(You're welcome)

**Austria: No! Start over, you messed up! I**

**TT~TT I'm going back to The Bad Touch Trio if this keeps up much longer. I've been trying to play Chopsticks for the past five hours!**


	14. Outing

It had been two weeks since I had found out that I was, in fact, a new country. Well, I wasn't even a country. I was a piece of territory in Britain that had claimed it's independence and had now been forcibly put under the rule of France.

Britain had been quite peeved when he'd found out, especially when we found that the piece of territory was a fairly large one. This revelation had lead to many visits from Britain to France's house, all of them about how Britain would rather me be a free country than part of France. I had been present for every argument. It wasn't an enjoyable situation.

My will to fight had vanished. I spent most of my time in the room I had been give just sitting and staring at a wall. Nothing felt worth it. I would never be able to find a way home if I was a piece of territory. I'd never see my friends and family again. I'd never get to finish high school. I'd never get to be a kid again.

It was the most spirit crushing thing I'd ever experienced. Everything had just been taken from me. I'd had no say in anything. It wasn't my fault. It was the fault of the group of people who had proclaimed their independency from England. I wasn't sure how they'd managed to do it either. No one was. Well aside from them but it wasn't like I'd really gotten to talk to them.

In all honesty, I felt a good deal of resent towards the people of my 'country'. They'd ruined my life. Completely turned it upside down. Granted they hadn't realized this would happen when declaring independence, but the damage was done nonetheless.

They hadn't been happy when they found out about France claiming them. From what I'd heard, they had sent their leader to speak with France and I. But France hadn't let me be in the meeting, saying that I was only a territory so I didn't actually get a say in it. I'd been locked in a room while Spain kept an eye on me.

I wasn't allowed to be on my own. France suspected me of faking the giving up and thought I would run away if given the chance. I think the fact that Britain had also broken in a few times to try to get me out and with that going on there was no telling if he might succeed if I wasn't under supervision was the bigger factor in that matter though.

Prussia and Spain were the ones who always watched me. Prussia was making my life even more hellacious by constantly invading my personal space. He'd gone as far to push me against a wall and try to make out with me. But I'd managed to scream and cry loud enough that Spain had run in and told him to stop. Prussia had then left, looking slightly annoyed. He was doing a good job at making me regret kneeing him in the crotch.

Spain was fairly friendly whenever he watched me. He was more often my babysitter than Prussia because of the amount of trouble Prussia had been causing me. France probably wouldn't have cared if it hadn't been for the annoyance he was getting from my yelling and the damage my fighting back was causing him. True, I had lost all will to fight for my freedom but I wasn't going to let Prussia take advantage of that.

When Spain watched me I didn't feel quite as depressed and hopeless. He was friendly and fun to talk to. A bit of a jerk at times, but his carefree attitude was somewhat infectious no matter how bad things seemed to be for me.

A G8 meeting was going to be held soon to settle the dispute over me with Britain and France. Personally, I didn't know what I wanted. Being a part of France, no matter how much I disliked the idea, did have a certain appeal to it. That appeal being that I wouldn't have to worry about being a country. However… I'd be stuck with France. I may not have been fighting to get away but that didn't mean I liked the position I was in.

Being liberated from France would mean I'd be free and my own country. It would also mean that I was responsible for a whole country of people though. That was a huge responsibility. One I wasn't sure I was ready for. I'd been a teenage girl living in America not a month ago. Now I was a personified piece of land that was home to a whole new culture.

I was required to be in attendance at the meeting with how much the matter affected me. The meeting would take place tomorrow so I had been, literally, dragged out of the house by France, Prussia, and Spain to get new clothes for it. France claimed I needed to look good for the meeting so I had to get new clothes, a nice pair of shoes, and a haircut.

I had protested, saying I'd be willing to get a T-shirt and jeans, seeing as how I'd been stuck in the frilly clothes France had been making me wear for two weeks, but I didn't need a haircut or shoes.

France hated my shoes and had attempted to throw them out many a time but I always managed to save them. They were just like my shoes at home. Checkered Vans, the colors being blue and black. I loved them. They weren't as broken in as my old pair but they would be with time.

As for my hair… I was fine with how it looked. It was naturally dirty blond and I'd been trying to grow it out. At this point it, unfortunately, looked a good deal like France's hair with how wavy it was, though it was slightly longer. If put into an outfit identical to France's I probably would've looked like a shorter, slightly heavier, female version of France with glasses. It was slightly disheartening and made me with my hair would grow faster.

I had agreed to go get the haircut peacefully if all that happened was a trim and straightening of my hair. Aside from the phase where I got pink streaks in my hair, which I had thought looked pretty cool, that was the farthest I ever went with getting my hair done. Unless my friends were just in the mood to play around with my hair, it being extremely easy to mess with and being quite compliant with just about everything along with having my hair messed with being my hidden girly pleasure, I didn't let massive amounts of styling happen in public areas.

It was around three in the afternoon at this point and I was starving, having not eaten anything since breakfast at 6:30. I'd been forced into numerous boutiques, each one without any jeans or t-shirts like I wore. It was a conspiracy, it had to be. Everything I was being forced to try on was unbearably girly. The shoes were unbelievably uncomfortable. It was pretty miserable day.

"Please… can we stop for food?" I begged, my stomach growling loudly in agreement.

France chuckled, strewing his arm around my shoulder. "Oui, chérie~**(1)**" he said, steering me in the direction of a small café. "We'll eat here."

Spain and Prussia followed close behind, Prussia uncomfortably close to me. We were seated almost immediately. France ordered our food for us, all of us having looked at the menu with confusion when it arrived.

"Are we almost done with this un-awesome shopping thing?" Prussia asked.

The only thing that had kept Prussia entertained during the trip was bothering me. So, though he was less displeasured by the shopping trip than I was, he was pretty board. "After this we'll go to hair salon and then we should be done~" France said.

By no means had we not gotten enough clothes. Spain, Prussia, and I were all carrying a few bags of clothes and shoes. None of the clothing was to my taste by any stretch of the imagination. It all looked to 'stylish' and girly for me. France had been the one to decide if it was being bought or not and he didn't want to carry any of the bags. I was finding a new sense of hatred for clothes shopping with every second of the trip.

Soon the food arrived. My dish looked delicious. A beautifully made crepe suzette sat on the plate, some raspberries sitting on it. I dug in and was immediately in a much better mood. The crepe was warm and light with an amount of sweetness that didn't taste overly sweet to me. It was culinary art. "Mmmm~"

France smirked, obviously pleased with the reaction while Prussia and Spain just continued to eat their food, not really noticing. "You're enjoying it, yes ma chérie?**(2)**" France asked, though he knew the question wasn't necessary.

I slightly glared, not wanting to admit anything France had done was successful in making me happy. "It's good…" I muttered, looking away and taking another bite.

"Kesesese," Prussia laughed. "If you think that's good you need to try some wurst!"

"Or have some of my homemade churros!" Spain said with a grin.  
>My interest piqued at the mention of churros. "I love churros!" I exclaimed happily, practically ignoring Prussia.<p>

Spain laughed. "You have a sweet tooth, si chica?**(3)**" he asked.

I blushed slightly. I ate way too many sweets for my own good. Candies, cakes, cookies, different pastries and baked goods… it was definitely my guilty pleasure. "Y-yea… a bit," I said.

Prussia grinned. "Well, then forget the wust! I need to have West make you a chocolate cake!" he said. "His cake is awesome! Not as much as me, but that's a given."

My mouth was watering. German chocolate cake was amazing. Heck, any chocolate cake was amazing. "Sounds yummy…" I said, practically tasting the cake already.

"Oh, it is," Prussia said with a smirk.

The conversation of different desserts their countries had and which was the best continued as I at my crepe. Soon enough I'd finished as was dragged off to the hair salon. I acted as if I didn't want to be there, while still being polite to the stylist, but secretly enjoyed it.

By the time we all arrived back at France's house I was exhausted. I set the shopping bags down and collapsed onto the first comfortable looking thing I could get to, this being a couch. As I sat, eyes heavy, someone plopped themselves beside myself. My head lulled as I drifted off, landing on the person's shoulder. A familiar, Prussia sounding, laugh made it's way into my ear but I was honestly too tired to really care. Within minutes I'd fully fallen asleep.

**1: Yes dear  
>2: My dear<br>3: Yes girl  
>Yus! Light has been shed! No longer is being a country and where the land is in the dark! Took fourteen chapters but I'm happy with how those chapters have gone so far :) And yea... I do have a major sweet tooth O.O Sugar is just so amazing... a friend and I actually played a 'drinking game', only with pixi sticks, this weekend on five hour car trip. We probably had more than 20 of them a piece in less than an hour. And we ate a lot of other candy, along with a couple cake pops from starbucks . We were very giggly during the ride. I don't do candy binges like that very often xD That was the first on in a long time :P<strong>

**Austria: Back to practicing!**

**Ah! *Runs away***

**Chibitalia: Ciao~**(goodbye)

***Runs into Prussia* Dang it!**

**Russia: *Appears and scares away Prussia***

**:D Thank you so much Russia! *Hugs***

**Russia: No problem, now become one with me, da? ^J^**

**... *Is dragged to Russia's house* Oh man :(**

**Lithuania: O-oh, Mr. Russia has captured you too?**

**Yea :(**


	15. Breakfast

I didn't want to get up. I was so comfortable. It felt like I was encased in warmth and enveloped in comfort. Leaving that feeling sounded like the worst idea in the world. Why would anyone want to leave such comfort?

The sound of a heart beat and feeling of a steadily rising and falling chest was only adding to the comfort. And the pair of arms that held me felt strong and safe to me. All of it together made for the most comforting and lulling feeling I'd ever felt. It was a needed sense of comfort I'd been longing for ever since the metaphorical shit had hit the metaphorical fan in my so called life.

It was odd how comforting the presence of a single being holding was. Wait. Someone was holding me. That seemed off. Who would be holding me while I slept? Who would I have allowed to get so close to me?

I opened my eyes and looked up, my whole being still groggy and half asleep. Prussia's breath tickled my forehead. I saw that he was holding me against himself on the couch we were both lying on.

Oh. It was only Prussia holding me. He was still fast asleep, much like I wanted be. He looked exceedingly peaceful and contented. It made me even more comfortable and sleepy just seeing how comfy and restful he was. I buried my face back into the shirt he was wearing and started to drift off again. Continued sleep within the warm, comfy confines of Prussia's arms was approaching when it suddenly hit me.

My eyes snapped open and I looked up again, this time an expression of pure shock on my face. Why the hell was I in Prussia's arms? We'd all gotten back from shopping… I'd made it to the couch and fallen asleep… on someone's shoulder. On… Prussia's shoulder. Shit.

We were both fully clothed, so that was a good sign that nothing had happened. However, I was far from pleased with being in Prussia's arms as we both slept. I began squirming and pushing to get out of his arms. "Nhg…" he muttered, only pulling my closer and tightening his hug.

No. This wasn't happening. I wasn't being used as a teddy bear by Prussia. It was all a dream. A horrible… horrible dream. A nightmare. No… a night terror. I pushed again. "Uh-uhg!"

Prussia coughed, pushing me back out of reflex. "Ah-ah… ack!" I cried out as I tumbled onto the ground.

I groaned. I had hit the ground with a solid thump and it had hurt. That's what I got for trying to push away with all of my might. Prussia sat up and looked over the side of the couch. "Good morning to you too," he grumbled, slightly rubbing his chest.

I groaned in response, glaring right back at the albino. He stood up, easily avoiding me as he walked toward the kitchen. I grumbled and sat up, rubbing my head as I pulled myself off of the ground. It was the day of the meeting. Maybe I'd actually make it to this one.

I walked into the kitchen and saw that Prussia was making himself some eggs. He and Spain had been given free reign of the kitchen for when they stayed as long as they cleaned up after themselves. Spain had been fine about this but Prussia… he had usually left the mess for Spain and I to clean up.

I went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal. Reeses Puffs. It was my favorite cereal and I had managed to get France to buy me some, despite how disgusted he looked at it. Breakfast for him consisted of gourmet food that he made fresh, not a bowl of artificially flavored and processed bread in milk and a glass of cranberry juice. Yep, cranberry juice. It was all I ever drank. It was just so good!

I sat down and began eating my food as Prussia cooked his breakfast. "You know, you could always make something… better than that for breakfast," Prussia said, looking at box of cereal with disbelief. "I'm sure what ever you made would be healthier too."

I looked at Prussia, spoon in my mouth and milk dribbling down my chin. "What do you mean?" I asked, having swallowed.  
>"That… it can't taste that good," Prussia said. "And there's no way it's good for you."<p>

"Not taste good? It tastes like peanut butter and chocolate. How could that possibly be bad?"

Prussia shook his head and took the cereal away from me. I exclaimed as he threw the food away, leaving me with just a glass of cranberry juice. "Drink that. I'll make you something for breakfast."

I glared but did as I was told. I was pouring my third glass of juice by the time a plate was placed in front of me. It hadn't actually been that long, I just drank my juice really fast. I looked down and back up at Prussia, blinking with confusion. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's a haselnuss omelette**(1)**," Prussia said, looking quite proud of himself.

"Okay…" I said, getting up and going over to the cabinet and grabbing a bottle of ketchup.

"No!" Prussia said, grabbing the ketchup away and sitting me down. "You will not put ketchup on this!"

I frowned. Why was Prussia being so annoying about my breakfast this morning? It had to be payback for pushing him. I sighed, figuring I should probably just eat, no matter how much I disliked plain eggs. I took a bite and let the taste sink in. It was actually pretty good.

"Well?" Prussia asked, looking at me expectantly as I chewed and swallowed.

I looked up at him and nodded. "It's pretty good," I admitted, taking another bite.

Prussia scoffed. "Pretty good?" he asked. "It's awesome!"

I sighed and took another drink of my juice. "Ah~ Hola mis amigos!**(2)**" I looked back, slightly startled, and saw Spain and France walking into the kitchen. "Did you two sleep well last night?"

"I'm sure they did~" France said, chuckling.

I glared at the two men before returning to my food. The next few hours were spent trying to stay away from Prussia, who was seemingly determined to annoy me. Spain and France watched from the sidelines, chuckling or giving me crap every so often. These were grown men. And they were getting their kicks by making a teenage girl's life as annoying and bothersome as they possibly could. Freaking sickos.

"Come on Marissa~" Prussia said as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the couch.

"Let go," I said, glaring and gritting my teeth at the albino trouble maker.

"Take another nap with him chérie~**(3)**" France said, winking at me. "You looked so comfortable last time."

Spain laughed along as I glared at the two of them and tried to pull myself out of Prussia's grasp. He was really strong though, too strong for me to break away from on my own. And the more I struggled the more he pulled.

I felt my balance suddenly falter as something bumped into my back. I teetered towards Prussia as he sat down, still grasping my wrist. I cried out, feeling as if someone was pushing me. I landed atop of Prussia, he letting go of my wrist and wrapping his arms around me in a hug like fashion.

What the hell had that been? It was like someone was actually trying to push me into Prussia, attempting to make my life worse than it already was! But France and Spain were nowhere near me nor had they been behind me.

I looked up, glaring at a smirking Prussia as I did so, and maneuvered my head to see who was behind me. Two girls stood there, one silently giggling and the other with a huge smile on her face. "Hola,**(4)**" the giggling girl said. "It's good to see that Sénior Prussia has a novia.**(5)**"

"Oui,**(6)**" the smiling girl said. "He's been needing a vraie fille.**(7)** It's good to get away from dolls, magazines, and imaginary girls every so often."

Who the hell were these girls?

**1: Hazelnut omelet****2: Hello my friends  
>3: Dear<br>4: Hello  
>5: Girlfriend<br>6: Yes  
>7: Real girl<br>I just want to thank two of my reviewer in this, 87 and happy unicorn. They've both influenced the decision of adding the two girls introduced in this chapter, who's identities will be revealed in the next chapter. Hopefully they'll be okay characters. I'm a bit worried on how to proceed with them, but hopefully I'll get personalities for them down fairly quickly. Now... I need to escape Russia's house... Belarus and I aren't on great terms so far...**

**Belarus: Come out here! I'll kill you for trying to become one with big brother!**

**TT~TT I didn't even do anything... she's just mad Russia has me staying at his house TT^TT**

**Belarus: Ah-ha! I've found you!**

**Lithuania: U-uh, please don't kill her Bella... sh-she can't continue the story if she dies...**

**Russia: *Hiding* TTJTT**

**I gotta get out of here... **


	16. Amour

Prussia glared at the two girls, obviously not amused with what they were saying. "I don't need dolls, magazines, or imaginary girls," he retorted. "I'm awesome enough to get all the girls I want!"

The French girl scoffed as the Spanish girl giggled. They were both very pretty. The Spanish girl had pretty tan skin, green eyes, and long, curly, brown hair that went down to her breasts. She was tallish, probably around five and a half feet, which was a good four inches taller than me. He figure was easily noticeable in the yellow sundress she wore. She looked to be in her early twenties, maybe twenty-six at the oldest. She kind of looked like a female version Spain to be quite honest.

The French girl was fairly pale, but not in a pasty way… it suited her in an odd way. Her eyes were blue and he hair was short, almost in a pixie style cut, and blonde. She was a few inches taller than the Spanish girl, though that was probably due to the high heels she was wearing. He figure was virtually non-existence. She looked like a twig and the way her clothes hung off of her didn't really help to hide that. But, at the same time, the clothes she wore were incredibly fashionable and suited he in an oddly nice way. She looked to be around twenty-three, twenty-five at the most.

"You can keep telling yourself that," the French girl said, rolling her eyes.

"But we'll always know the truth," the Spanish girl said, practically finishing the other girl's sentence.

Again. Who the hell were these girls. I looked at them with confusion, causing them seemingly remember that I was actually there. "Oh! How rude," the Spanish girl said. "We haven't introduced ourselves to Prussia's novia!"**(1)**

"Oui,**(2)** how rude indeed. Completely unacceptable of us!" the French girl agreed.

Spain and France walked over into my line of sight as I began trying to get out of Prussia's arms. The two girls began giggling, seemingly from my struggles, as Prussia adjusted me so I was sitting in his lap. I felt my face heat up, probably becoming exceedingly red. I still didn't like being touched, though I'd gotten more used to it during the past two weeks. That didn't mean sitting in Prussia's lap wasn't awkward. Hell, everything was awkward when it came to Prussia.

"This is Mayotte," France said, gesturing to the French girl.

"Oui~"**(2)** Mayotte said, smiling through her giggles. "France is my older brother."

"And this my younger sister," Spain said, pointing at the Spanish girl. "Canary."

"Si!**(3)** It's muy bueno**(4)** to meet you!" Canary said, also smile through her giggling.

I blinked. Interesting. They were both two collections of islands under rule of either one of the two. And they were considered their younger sisters. I wondered if their were any other situations like that. Maybe there was a person to represent the Hawaiian islands, it had been a kingdom before America had claimed it after all. For that matter, maybe there were people to represent all the different states and parts of different countries. It'd be an interesting thing to look into at some point.

"It's good to see that mousier**(5)** Prussia has actually found a girl who can stand him and is willing to give him a chance in the department of amour~"**(6)** Mayotte said, winking at me with a coy expression.

Wait. What? They actually thought we were dating or something? No way. No way in hell would I date Prussia. I may have been a fan girl before this whole experience but not I couldn't stand the guy. He was a perverted creeper who couldn't take no for an answer and didn't understand the concept of personal space. I wanted nothing to do with him. "Bitch," Prussia said.

"Ah, senior**(7)** Prussia, you know she is only speaking the truth! It's very good and lucky you've found someone willing to look past your faults," Canary said.

These girls were very rude and cruel towards Prussia. They were delusional. Or on some sort of whacked out drug. They had to be if they could think Prussia and I were together. "Faults?" Prussia said, sounding offended. "What possible faults could the awesome me have?"

Ah. Prussia and his superior skills of modesty. "You'd like a list?" Mayotte asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That could take a while," Canary said, beginning to seemingly count items off on her fingers. "But to start off with…"

"You're sexist," Mayotte said.

"Annoying," Canary continued.

"Egotistical."

"Rude."

"You disregard the need for personal space."

"You think your better than you are…"

"Shut up!" Prussia shouted.

What Mayotte and Canary had been saying held a certain extent of truth to it, but it had been extremely rude and cruel to say to Prussia. It was obviously upsetting him and hurting his ego so I decided to step in. It wasn't that I liked Prussia, not at all like that, but I couldn't stand to see people be so blatantly hurtful to others. Even if I didn't like someone I didn't like to see them being hurt or upset. "Hey now…" I cut in before Mayotte or Canary could say anything more. "That wasn't very nice…"

"Aw!" Canary squealed. "La novia es**(8)** standing up for her chico!"**(9)**

"Adorable~" Mayotte agreed.

"I'm not his girlfriend…" I said. "I just don't think what you two were saying was nice and if you don't have anything nice to say… you shouldn't say anything at all."

"She's a keeper, Prussia," Mayotte said, winking at Prussia as she spoke.

"Si,**(3)** but why would you let her go anyway?" Canary asked, looking as innocent as she possibly could. "It must've taken so much work on your part to get her to give you a chance, why put all that time and work to wast by just letting her go?"

Spain and France sighed at the antics of their sisters. Did they do this type of thing often? It was pretty rude and unacceptable in my opinion. Did they think it was okay to treat other like this? It wasn't. Not in my book. They were being downright mean.

I felt Prussia's grip tighten and looked at him. He looked downright pissed. I couldn't blame him though. He was being treated like dirt. Canary and Mayotte were going way to far. I think the only thing that kept him from leaping up and killing them was that Spain and France were standing right there. If they hadn't been there, I think, Canary and Mayotte would've been in a lot more trouble for saying what they were saying.

"I… uh, I need to get ready for the meeting…" I said, wanting nothing more than to get away from the situation.

"Ah, oui," France said, nodding in agreement. "Prussia, you'll need to let her up so she can get ready."

"That's okay," Prussia said through gritted teeth, standing up and carrying me with him. "I'll just take her to her room."

"Awe! They make such a cute couple~" Mayotte cooed as I was carried towards my room.

"We aren't a couple…" I said lamely, though I knew it wouldn't do any good for the situation. "And… I can walk Prussia…"

Prussia ignored my words, huffing and muttering under his breath the entire way to my room. Once there he set me down and opened the door. "I, um… thanks for defending me back there," he muttered.

I looked at Prussia in surprise. I had just done what was right. I hadn't been expecting him to thank me or anything. "I-it was nothing…" I said. "Really. Any decent person would've done the same…"

Prussia looked away, slightly blushing. "S-still! Thanks. I have to put up with their crap all the time and it was nice to actually have someone to tell them to stop for once," he said before walking away.

Prussia had to deal with Mayotte and Canary at other times? And nobody stood up for him when it was happening? What the hell? I mean, yea, he was obnoxious and rude but still. It made me feel sort of bad for him. Me feeling bad for Prussia? I sighed. What was the world coming to?

**1: Girlfriend  
>2: Yes<br>****3: Yes  
><strong>**4: Very good  
>5: Mister<br>6: Love  
>7: Mister<br>****8: The girlfriend is  
>9: Boy<br>Hmmm... I dislike Mayotte and Canary... they seem mean :(**

**Prussia: How do you think I feel?**

**Ah... I'm sor... wait! Holy fudge nuggets! Where did you come from!**

**Belarus: I let him in... now die!**

**Meep! *Runs for my life***

**Canada: Quick! Hide behind me!**

**...Okay? *Hides behind Canada***

**Belarus: Where did she go! *Runs off to find me***

**...Thank you so much Mattie! I totally forgive you for Justin Bieber now! *Hugs***

**Canada: B-but... he isn't my fault...**

**Either way, thanks so much!**

**Canada: *Blushes* I-it's no problem!**

**Can I stay with you for a while?**

**Canada: S-sure!**

**Yay :D Happy Easter everyone!**


	17. Makeover

I was dressed and ready to go within less than ten minutes. Being low maintenance in how I looked was nice in the fact that I didn't waste my time trying to make myself prettier or any of that crap. I was completely fine with how I looked without caking a bunch of makeup onto my face. Sure, I had that occasional day where I felt blah and would put a bit on but what girl didn't have at least one of those days?

I had put on a T-shirt and jeans and tied my hair back into a ponytail. Looked perfectly acceptable to me. But no. According to Mayotte and Canary I looked like I had just rolled out of bed. Both of them seemed to be big on makeup and girly attire with how they were presenting themselves. That didn't mean I was though. So when they had said I had to go do my makeup I refused. Big mistake.

"If you won't…" Mayotte said, pursing her lips and crossing her arms.

"Then we will," Canary said, staring me down with complete seriousness.

I looked at them as if they were insane. I didn't have to wear makeup and that crap if I didn't want to. Though, voicing that opinion hadn't exactly ended well for me.  
>Canary made the first move, pouncing on me as if she were a mighty lioness and I was a feeble gazelle. I cried out, tumbling to the ground. Once I'd landed Mayotte went to work, restraining me with a pair of handcuffs. Where had she gotten those? You know what, I didn't want to know. She was France's sister after all.<p>

I was then dragged towards the living room, kicking and yelling at the two girls to release me. "Mien Gott,**(1)** what's with all the yelling?" Prussia asked, annoyed that his TV show was being interrupted. He then caught sight of me, handcuffed and being dragged away by the two girls. He raised and eyebrow and smirked. "Kinky."  
>Mayotte and Canary both gave Prussia a disgusted scoff. "Pervert," they said simultaneously.<p>

"We're just giving your petite amie a makeover," Mayotte said.

"Help, please!" I begged, looking at Prussia with a pleading expression.

Prussia looked at me with a conflicted expression. This was obviously an activity that I didn't want to participate in, thus Prussia would be for it in order to torture me more than he already had. But on the other hand, I had stood up for him against Mayotte and Canary.

Looking up uncomfortably, Prussia sighed. "If she doesn't want to get this type of stuff done to her then you two shouldn't be forcing her to," he muttered, obviously wanting to see me suffer through the makeover bet forcing himself to do what was right.

"Wow," Canary said, blinking in surprise.

"You're whipped," Mayotte said.

Prussia and I both sighed in aggravation. "I'm not whipped, I'm way to awesome to be whipped!" Prussia said with an annoyed tone.

"And we aren't even dating!" I said.

Mayotte and Canary both giggled. "Look how rojo**(2)** they are!" Canary squealed.

"I know, it's so cute how they act around each other!" Mayotte said, her head moving back and forth like a bobble head's would.

Before either Prussia or I could even respond Canary began dragging me again and set me on the couch beside Prussia. "Now~" she said excitedly. "It's time to commence with the makeover!"

Mayotte walked over, now having a bag of makeup and hair supplies along with a new outfit that looked like something one of the 'popular' girls at my school would've worn. It was unbearably girly and cute. Hello Kitty was even on the t-shirt. China came to mind from that observation.

"Prussia, you need to leave while we get her changed," Mayotte said, giving Prussia a look that easily conveyed trouble if he didn't comply with the orders. "We will need you, Spain, or France to help us with something at some point though."

Prussia quickly got up, not wanting to put Mayotte's seriousness to the test. Once he was out of the room Canary unlocked my handcuffs. The two girl began stripping me down. "H-hey!" I yelled, surprised by how strong the were. "Stop that!"

I attempted to fight back but they easily overpowered me and got me into the new clothes. I was then handcuffed again and my hair was let down so the two could do what they wanted with it. "Hair or makeup first?" Canary asked, looking at Mayotte.

"Makeup."

They had an evil aura around them as they got the makeup out. It was terrifying, really. It made me wonder how much time they spent with Russia to be quite honest.  
>"Oh! Big brother!" Canary chirped happily. "Perfect timing! Would you help us, por favor?"<strong>(3)<strong>

Spain looked at us and smiled happily. "Si~"**(4)** he said. "What do you need help with?"

Canary and Mayotte grinned while I struggled to possibly slip out of the handcuffs. Why was the world seemingly conspiring against me? What had I ever done to deserve this? "We need her to be still to apply the makeup," Mayotte said, looking at Spain with an innocent expression.

Spain immediately figured out what was being asked of him and grinned. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to me before taking hold of my head. I was immobilized. Canary smiled and hugged her brother. "Gracias**(5)** big brother!" she said happily.

Spain chuckled. "Es nada~"**(6)** he replied as I attempted to struggle out of his grasp, though my efforts were for naught.

Canary and Mayotte began applying makeup to my face. First the base went on and then blush. They talked about which shades of the different powders would match my complexion best, leaving me to plot revenge. Soon came the torture of applying eyeliner and mascara. "Stop blinking," Canary said for about the twentieth time.

I couldn't help it. Honestly, I couldn't. My eyes involuntarily twitched when eye makeup was applied by people other than me. And I wasn't even used to wearing eyeliner. It was too difficult for me to apply so, when I wore makeup, I never bothered to mess with it.

"Almost done," Mayotte said, holding my face as she applied the lipstick and lip-gloss. "There."

The two girls stepped back and nodded approvingly at their work. "Looks good to me," Canary said.

"I concur," Mayotte said with a nod.

Spain let go of me and stood up before taking a few steps back to get his own look at the makeover. "Muy bonita~"**(7)** he said with a smile.

"Hair time!" Canary exclaimed as France walked into the room.

"Hmmm?" he asked as he spotted the mess being made from Mayotte and Canary just tossing aside the items as they finished using them. "What's going on in here?"

"Makeover~" Mayotte said, smiling sweetly at her brother.

"Help me…" I said, willing to take help from anyone at this point.

"Ah, chérie~"**(8)** France said, seeing me. "Such a belle fille!"**(9)**

"And she's going to have her hair done next!" Canary said excitedly.

"Oui,**(10)** we couldn't allow her to leave looking like she did before," Mayotte explained.

"Hey now…" I said, taking a hit to my self-esteem from the comment.

My comment was ignored as Canary began brushing out my hair. Spain and France walked out, talking quietly enough that I wasn't able to make out what they were saying. That was worrisome. But the worry for what France and Spain could've been talk about was quickly overruled by the fear of Mayotte pulling out both a flatiron and a curling iron.

I had just gotten my hair straightened, why did I need it done again? My hair was compliant and stayed straight for a few days after it was straightened. And curling irons scared me. I'd been burned by one before. It had hurt.

"Hold still," Mayotte said after the irons had heated up. I scooted away, eyeing the irons with a wary expressions. "I won't burn you. You need a touch up with the flatiron and I'm going to give you a few curls to mix it up a bit."

"But…" I said before having Canary shush me.

I sighed and went along with it. As much as I liked having my hair done, I felt way to girly. It felt weird to be in girly clothes, makeup and have my hair being done to look cutesy. Though, true to her word, Mayotte finished without burning me. "Done," she said before backing away and smiling. "C'est magnifique~"**(11)**

Canary stepped back and looked at me before smiling and nodding toward Mayotte. "We did good," she said happily. "So much better than before."

I frowned. I hadn't looked bad before… had I? These girls had been nothing but rude towards me but that still didn't stop the comment from hurting. "Now you can go to the meeting looking super cute on Mr. Prussia's arm~" Canary cooed, giggling slightly.

"W-we aren't dating…"

I was sounding like a broken record. And their comments were beginning to hurt. They were making it sound like I wasn't good looking or anything without the makeup and work they'd done to my hair. It wasn't that I really cared what they thought about me or anything… their words were just becoming more and more painful to hear. It made me feel even worse for Prussia, having to deal with their crap all the time.

"Don't look so glum," Mayotte said. "We know Prussia is pretty low on the ladder, dating wise, but at least you've got a boyfriend. It's gotta be more than what you usually are able to get."

I stared in shock, anger rising in me. "Si,"**(4)** Canary said. "He's probably a step up from the boys you usually date! Granted, he's still really low down there but it's progress!"

I looked at the two girl, clenching my fists and gritting my teeth. "Shut up," I said, attempting to keep control of my actions.

"Hmmm?" hummed Mayotte.

"Shut up!" I shouted, losing control and trying to lash out at the two girls.

They both giggled and walked out of the room, placing the key on top of a cabinet I wouldn't have even been able to reach the top of. Screw them. True, I'd never even had a boyfriend and wasn't dating Prussia but what they'd been saying about Prussia and implying about me was exceedingly rude and uncalled for. It pissed me off to hear people talk to or about others that way. It wasn't right, absolutely inexcusable in my mind.

After having about fifteen minutes to myself I began to calm down slightly. That was good too considering it was almost time to leave. Prussia walked in to see me sitting on the couch, still slightly red from the anger and handcuffed. He smirked and walked over to me, whistling. "Wow, they really went all out~" he said, lifting me up. "You look amazing, more so than usual."

I blinked and blushed. What was with the kind words? It didn't seem to be in character to me. "I don't like them," I muttered bitterly.

Prussia laughed. "Not many people do," he said, sitting down and setting me on his lap.

I looked away, my blush deepening. I attempted to push Prussia away but it was difficult what with being handcuffed. This wouldn't help stop the teasing from Canary and Mayotte if they walked back in. They'd see the scene and become even worse. Why did Prussia have to be so set on torturing me?

"Time to go~" France said, walking in and grabbing the key, most likely having been told where it was by Canary and Mayotte.

I was carried to the car by Prussia, me protesting to be set down because I could still walk and wanted the handcuffs undone the entire way. But they weren't unlocked until I was in the car, squeezed in-between Prussia and Spain while France sat in the front seat with the driver. Off to the meeting we went.

**1: My God  
>2: Red<br>3: Please4: Yes  
>5: Thank you<br>6: Is nothing  
>7: Very pretty<br>8: Dear  
>9: Beautiful girl<br>10: Yes  
>11: Magnificent<br>Lalala~ Yesterday, Easter Sunday, was amazingness :) All of spring break was amazing actually! I got to spend a ton of time with the guy I like over it which doesn't happen often so that was awesome :) And I got to hang out with friends a ton! Fun times! Also, I should get the 3rd season of Hetalia in the mail tomorrow :D More inspiration!**

**Canada: Hoo...hooray~**

**America: *Shows up* Hey Canadia! I thought I'd show up and randomly visit you... wait you have cookie girl here! :D**

**...My name isn't cookie girl :/**

**America: Huh... *shrugs* Anyway... you should make more cookies :D**

**...Fine. =.=**

**America: Yea!**

**Hmmm... well I should probably address this confusion different people have been having. In this story, the country Marissa is is non-existent in real life. I'm sorry to have confused anyone. I have no idea what her country's name should be... any suggestions on that? If I get any I'll write them all down and draw one from a hat xP Tis the way to go on it~ Anyways... hope this chapter was enjoyable and yes... I dislike Mayotte and Canary as well xD They're incredibly fun to write for though. Mean bitchy girl are so really easy to hate when reading about them but writing them... oh writing them is so fun x3**


	18. Torture

The car ride was incredibly awkward. I was in between Spain and Prussia. Both were grabby. Strike that. Both were very grabby. I was just thankful to have had the handcuffs taken off. If it hadn't been for that things could have gone much worse than they did. Not that they went all that well in all reality.

First Spain began hugging me, saying how pretty I looked. I tried to get out of his grasp but ended up falling into Prussia's arms. He began laughing and attempting to pull me into his lap but was unable to because of the god given gift of seatbelts. Though, in retaliation to the seatbelt, he leaned across me and reached for the buckle that would release my restraints.

I cried out, Spain's arm suddenly wrapping around my waist and pulling me into him. He grinned down at me as Prussia groaned from me having collided with his head on my way over to Spain. My seatbelt became looser as Prussia managed to press the button on the buckle. This unexpected loss of tension sent me tumbling into Spain's lap.

Spain laughed and pulled me into a seated position. I blushed, attempting to get out of his lap, though all this did was make me tumble over so I was laying across both Spain and Prussia's laps. Prussia smirked down at me, looking more than amused. He caressed my face, causing me to smack his hand away.

I suddenly felt a jolt as the car came to a sudden stop. If it hadn't been for Prussia grabbing a hold of my torso I would've gone flying. I would've thanked him if it hadn't been partially his fault I was in the position to go flying.

"Time to get on the plane~" France called, looking back at us. When he saw the position I was in one of his eyebrows rose. "What is this and why wasn't I invited?"

Was France actually pouting? My god. The pervertedness he displayed was astounding to me. I glared at him as I was pulled up with Prussia. Wait. Why was I being carried again? I could walk fine and didn't even have handcuffs on anymore.

I began trying to squirm out of Prussia's arms but he only tightened his hold on me. "Put me down!" I demanded, squirming and trying to push him away.

"Nein,"**(1)** Prussia responded, smirking as he walked towards the private jet that was waiting for all of us.

We were all flying to America for the meeting. Great. Just flipping great. I was going to be stuck on a plane with the three perverted stooges for eight hours. I was doomed. Completely and utterly doomed.

Once on the plane I was placed in a seat and Prussia plopped himself beside me, the only thing protecting me from him being the armrest in between us. Life hated me. It truly hated me. France then took the other seat beside me and Spain sat in front of me, the seats being set up as they would on a train. A new revelation came to me. Life didn't hate me. It despised me. I was completely despised and utterly loathed by life. It was a disheartening realization, but a factual one nonetheless.

As the plane took off the awkwardness I been made to deal with in the car started up again. France was the one who started it this time. He lifted up the barrier that separated up, also known as the precious armrest that had been protecting me, and began pulling me closer to himself. I attempted to push him away from myself but quickly found out that Prussia had pushed the other arm rest up.

Pussia smirked down at me as I landed in his arms. I glared up at him, Spain laughing as if it were one of the funniest scenes he'd ever seen. I suddenly yelped, jumping slightly and, unfortunately landing on Prussia's lap. France quirked an eyebrow and cocked his head slightly, confused to why I had reacted that way to him trying to grab me and pull me back over to himself again. It wasn't that I had meant to. It had been a knee jerk reaction from his hands brushing lightly against my sides. It had only been a light brush against me but, dear god, it had tickled.

I only had two ticklish spots. My feet and my sides. But if France or anyone else who would take advantage of it were to find out I'd been a huge deal of trouble. I could only pray that France wouldn't put two and two together. But, of course with my luck, he reached over and lightly brushed his fingers over my side. I cried out again but was stopped from going anywhere by Prussia's grasp.

France grinned and laughed as he brought his face closer to me. "Mon chérie~"**(2)** he said. "Are you, perhaps, ticklish?"

I blushed, glancing around nervously. "N-no…" I lied, worried for what could happen if he, Prussia, and Spain found out about me being ticklish.

I really didn't want to end up being tickled. True, tickling brought laughter and laughter was good. But these three men were perverted and already had a massive advantage over me. They didn't need an advantage like that. That kind of advantage would end up being my ultimate demise.

"Ohonhonhon~" France laughed, getting even closer. "I think you are though…"

"Ack!" I cried out before bursting out in laughter.

Prussia had begun tickling me. It was pure torture. Pure laughter inducing torture. Not only was he invading my personal space even more but he was now forcing me to laugh. Laugh to the point of tears and my sides hurting. "P-please!" I begged, my laughter increasing from the added effort of France. "St-stop! M-mercy!"

The cries for them to stop only made them tickle me more though. And then Spain got the bright idea to try out tickling my feet. Once one of my shoes were off he began tickling. "N-nononon!" I cried out, beginning to laugh even harder.

Despite it being forced out of me, it was the most I'd laughed since I'd gotten to the world. I had to admit, even if it was a torturous type of laugh, it felt good to actually laugh again. Giggles just weren't same.

After about ten or so minutes I was finally given mercy, leaving me wheezing and trying to get over the laughter. "Y-you guys suck," I said between gulps of air.

"You seemed to be enjoying is senorita,"**(3)** Spain said with a grin.

"Yea, you wouldn't have laughed so much if you hadn't," Prussia said, laughing slightly as I finally managed to get out of his grasp and scoot away from the three of them, grabbing my shoes and putting them back on along the way.

I made it over to the opposite side of the plane, leaving the three men to talk amongst themselves. I suddenly wished for my music player. This was going to be an eight hour flight and I needed music to make it through that. I hadn't really noticed the lack of it with all that had been going on but I suddenly missed it very much.

At home I listened to music all the time so suddenly realizing I hadn't been for almost a month left me feeling slightly empty inside. Music was huge part of me. Not only was it incredibly enjoyable for me to listen to but I almost always sang along with it. Singing was a huge hobby of mine. I sang everywhere and all the time. It was fun and felt right to me.

I sighed, knowing I'd have to buy an mp3 player and some music for it if I wanted to keep myself from going insane. I'd do that once I had a means to some money and everything was somewhat figured out. Thus, I decided to do the only other thing people do on airplanes if they wanted to keep from going stir-crazy. I laid down across the seats and fell asleep.

**1: No  
>2: My dear<br>3: Girl  
>*Is hiding*O-oh, hi...<strong>

**Russia: Girl who makes cookies! Come out, come out wherever you are! Belarus has left for a while so it is safe for you to become one with me now! So come out and become one with Mother Russia, da ^J^**

**TT~TT**

**Prussia: Ah-ha~ Found you again! I am just so awesome at this!**

**Shit... *runs away and into China who was apparently there the whole time***

**China: Ahhh~ Cute shirt, aru!**

***Looks down and sees that I'm in the same shirt as in the story* Dang it...**

**China: *Le glomps***

**=.= I, uh, love you too China?**

**China: Cute!**

**O-oh! I was just wondering! I'm going to be in Florida in just over a week for about a week and a half or so. And I was wondering if, while I'm there, anyone would like me to try to write a little short side story thing in here where the Hetalia characters and Marissa run a muck in Disney World and/or Universal theme parks (which is where I'll be going). Just an idea, not sure if it'll happen. Just wondering if anyone would actually be into it.**


	19. Mutters

Waking up was something I didn't really want to do but my body kept yelling at me to for some reason. Fine. If my internal clock was going to be a jerk then I'd get back at it later by in taking a ton of sugar or caffeine when it began telling me to go to bed. Yep, that's the way to get back at a bodily function, screw it up with unhealthy foods.  
>As I sat up I looked out the window beside me and saw that it was extremely dark outside. Aside from the millions upon billions of stars littering the sky. It was beautiful, really. And it was a good way to try to figure out what time it was. Yet, with such epic time differences it was impossible to tell how long I'd been asleep, so that was a pointless endeavor.<p>

I shivered. Without even thinking I pulled the blanket atop of me closer. Wait. A blanket? I hadn't had one of those when I fell asleep. So why and how did I now? Upon further inspection I found a that I also had a pillow.

I looked around and saw that France and Spain were both asleep on the opposite side of the plane, both snuggled warmly under blankets that were identical to the one covering me and with pillows. Where was Prussia with his blanket and pillow? Then I heard a slight murmur. I looked to my side and slightly down. Ah. There he was.

Pussia was leaned against the wall of the plane and resting his head on a mixture of both his shoulder and one of the seats I'd been lying across. He was asleep. But he didn't look restful or comfortable like he had when he'd been holding me on the couch. In fact, he looked quite uncomfortable as he shivered.

I frowned. Had he given me his blanket and pillow? Idiot. I'd been fine. He hadn't needed to give up his blanket and pillow for me. Besides, there had had to have been more than three of them. The only reason there wouldn't have been if the plane usually only took three people at most and France had forgotten to call ahead and get another set added. Oh. That actually sounded more than likely to happen for some reason.

I sighed and got up. As much as I disliked the guy, I didn't want to him so uncomfortable and miserable looking, especially after been kind enough to give me his blanket and pillow in my sleep. "Upsy-daisy," I muttered, attempting to pull him up onto the seats.

"Nngh…" Prussia groaned, trying to push my efforts away as he adjusted himself in order to become more comfortable.

"Come on," I grunted, managing to get Prussia onto the seat and his head onto the pillow.

It was then that I noticed that I had forgotten to take the blanket off of the seats before getting Prussia onto them. Crap. I began trying to pull the blanket out from underneath the annoying albino. It was proving to be a fairly difficult task.

Why was I even putting so much effort into helping anyway? If I disliked him so much I could've just left him like that. I'd already done a lot more and put much more effort into helping him than anyone would've expected me to. And yet… I was still trying. Worse yet, I really and truly wanted to keep trying.

Crap. It had to be from being a fan girl. It just had to be. There was absolutely no other explanation for it. There couldn't be.

…Could there?

I shook my head, pursing my lips as I began hoping to rid myself of the confusing thoughts. Prussia was a complete douche who had an ego larger than Mt. Olympus itself. Austria couldn't have said it better when he had called him, "demon douche Prussia."

Sure, I could fangirl over Prussia when her was nothing more than a fictional character to me. But there was no possible or plausible way that I could like him or anything like that when he was real. Not with how he'd treated me.

If anything the only reason would've been because of hormones running crazy. I-it was just part of being a teenager. Even if I was near the end of being a teenager I was still a teenager. B-but that would only be a reason if I actually had feelings for Prussia. Which I didn't None whatsoever. Well aside from a strong sense of dislike. But other than that there was nothing. Nothing at all.

As the thoughts ran through my head I managed to get the blanket out from under Prussia. I stood up and covered him. Soon enough he stopped shivering and I involuntarily smiled. No. I lightly smacked my face, angry at myself. What was causing this crap now? I hadn't had to deal with it before. So why were the thoughts going on now? Being a hormonal teenager sucks. That was the only explanation I could come up with.

I sighed and slid down against the wall Prussia had been leaning against, holding my head with a frustrated expression. But then I heard something that both made my heart skip a beat and my whole body fill with fear. "Marissa…"

I looked up and saw Prussia slightly smiling, though he was still asleep. He murmured something illegible before my name left his mouth again. SHIT.

There was no way he could possibly like me. He was such a jerk towards me. I mean, yea, there were people that treated someone they liked like crap because they didn't know how else to show their feelings. But Prussia liking me? That wasn't possible. It couldn't be. God, why did things have to suddenly become so much more confusing for me?

**Oooh, short chapter, I know. But it seemed like such a good place to end it! Sorry bout that xD Oh, and I blame xXRedPokerGirlxX for this development xD She started saying how she supports PrussiaxMarissa in a review for chapter 15 and now I actually feel like it could somewhat work xD But it will, undoubtedly, be a total love-hate relationship if it actually happens xD**

**Canary: And it totally will!**

**You don't know that .**

**Mayotte: Their couple name... it'll totally be Gissa! **(Prussia's human name is Gilbert for those who don't know)

**Shuddup .**

**Canary and Mayotte: *Giggle and run off***

***Le sigh* Those two are going to drive me off the deep end =.=**


	20. Hug

I sat against the wall of the plane where Prussia had been before I'd moved him. Before so much confusion had come crashing down onto me. What I wouldn't have given to be able to just go back in time and keep myself from waking up. To be able to prolong the ignorance sounded amazing. They were right when they said that ignorance was bliss. I really wanted it back.

A few hours passed and I continued to just sit, letting my mind speed through the billions of thoughts it felt the need to produce. Soon I saw a little stream of light hit the ground in front of me. I looked up and, wincing as my gaze went past Prussia, I saw that the sky outside of the window was a lovely shade of pink. The pink mixed with oranges and red to produce a gorges sunrise the plane was flying through. It was enough to actually let me feel at peace for a few moments.

I stood up and went to the bathroom at the back of the plane. In the mirror there I saw that my hair had become a mess while I'd been asleep. What a surprise. Luckily, there was a comb packaged in a small plastic bag. I hated combs but it would do. I quickly made my hair look presentable, sighing at the fact that all the effects of the straightening and curling irons were still there. I also noted, exceedingly surprised, that none of the makeup had been messed up while I'd slept. Meh, it looked okay so I wasn't going to complain.

I walked out of the bathroom and saw that all three of the men were still fast asleep. I sighed and sat down again, beginning to feel tired again. Maybe a nap would do me well. I usually felt better and more clearheaded after sleeping anyway.

Lying down and closing my eyes I allowed myself to relax. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep. As consciousness left me completely I felt someone slightly move me, letting rest into their embrace. A slight chuckle left them, but it sounded to far away for me to place the voice to a face. The warmth of a blanket suddenly entered my state of awareness.

Soon it didn't even feel like I was lying down anymore. It felt like I was lying in somebody's lap, propped up against their body, the blanket covering the both of us. And with that sleep took over.

* * *

><p><em>I looked around. Where was I? The area looked familiar, like somewhere I'd been a ton of times. Home maybe? No. This place was a happy one at times, unlike home. Home… home was a difficult place to describe. Yelling constantly. Not usually from or towards me, but yelling still filled the place a good amount of the time. Yelling from a younger brother or a parent, if not from both.<em>

_I sighed. That was one of the best parts of having entered the Hetalia world. I didn't have to listen to the yelling anymore. But I also didn't get to see my friends or family at all and that was the worst part about it. Well, that and the confusion and stress that I was getting from all the events that had and were happing since I'd arrived._

_But back to figuring out where I was. I looked forward and saw some people walking around. They looked familiar. Really familiar. Just like this place. And everything in the place looked familiar. It was a place I went a lot, but I hadn't been there in a while. Not since I'd arrived in the Hetalia world at least. That's when I realized where I was._  
><em>I was in my school! And all the people walking around were the students went there, along with a teacher every now and then. I began feeling excited. My friends would be here! I'd get to see and talk to everyone! It'd been so long, about a month now.<em>

_I quickly began running to my locker and saw a few of my friends gathered around it, all of them talking. "Where do you think she is?" one of them said._

_"I'm right here guys!" I said excitedly. "I can't believe I'm actually getting to talk to you all again!"_

_They ignored me though, as if I weren't even there. They talked about how it'd been a week or so since I'd gone missing. How everyone was worried about me. Could they not see me? Was I just being allowed to get a glimpse into what was happening at home since my disappearance while I slept?_

_I felt tears beginning to well up in my eyes as I tried to grab one of my friends to tell them that I was in front of them. To show them I could see and hear what was going on. But my hand went straight through them. I backed away, going through several other students. It was as if I were a ghost, unable to be seen, heard, or even felt._

_The scene around me began melting away into darkness before becoming another one. I was standing outside the church I went to every Wednesday and Sunday. People were standing outside of it. They were all people I knew too, my friends again. We all went to the same youth group. So it was probably a Wednesday evening. They were all talking about how it'd been three weeks now. Shit, this wasn't too long ago._

_I ran away from the scene, not wanting to hear what they were saying. I rand down the few blocks in the small town it took to get from the church to the park. I ran to the swings and began trying to get on the swing so I could just make it so I flew toward the sky on it, wanting to just blast off into the great blue mass and never come down. But every attempt at sitting on the swing ended in me falling through it onto the ground._

_This sucked. If I was going to be in my world I wanted it to be real, not just glimpses of events centered around my disappearance. Why was I having to deal with this crap? I wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. _

_As tears began filling my eyes the sound of someone walking towards my location entered my ears. I looked and saw a man walking down the road. Immediately I recognized the man. "Prussia?" I whispered quietly as he smirked and waved at me, getting closer and closer with each step._

_After a minute or so he reached me, holding out a hand as if offering to help me up. I took it and was immediately pulled into a hug. The hug felt safe and strong. As if it could protect me from anything. The sudden feeling of protection set me off. _

_Tears began streaming down my face as I sobbed into his shirt, latching onto him as if the one real thing in this dream would disappear if I let go. Even if it was Prussia, something causing me such confusion, I couldn't bear the thought of him disappearing on me._

_I was shushed as Prussia held me close, telling me it was going to be alright. It was so out of character for him but I didn't give a damn. I needed the comforting. I had to have that moment where, instead of him trying to make my life hell, he was trying to comfort and help me. It was a necessity at that point, even if it was just a dream._

_Eventually my tears slowed and my sobbing turned into trembling in Prussia's arms. I looked up and saw that Prussia wasn't wearing his usual smirk on his face. Instead, a gentle smile adorned his face. This kind of treatment wouldn't ever come from Prussia in real life. There was no way he could possibly act so sympathetic to me. Almost everything he'd done before was completely contrary to this. This was just a dream Prussia. Nothing more than that._

_But I'd take dream Prussia over nothing right then. As pathetic as it may have seemed, he was providing the comfort and sense of safety I needed to keep from completely losing it. If this was how I'd get it then I'd take it._

_"Th-thank you…" I murmured, slightly loosening my death grip on dream Prussia's shirt._

_When I didn't receive a response I looked up and saw the dream Prussia was no longer there. All that was left was the feeling he'd left from holding me. But it didn't really matter that he wasn't there anymore. I was waking up._

* * *

><p>I blinked. Reality was returning to me. Despite knowing I had had an incredibly impacting dream everything that had happened in it began seeming incredibly distant and difficult to remember. Odd. I couldn't even recall why it had been important to me. But, what I did know, was that I was warm, yet slightly trembling, in somebody's embrace.<p>

Said somebody was stroking my hair and quietly shushing me, telling me it would be alright. Weird. My face felt strangely damp. Had I been crying in my sleep? What would've caused me to do that? And who would've begun holding and comforting me from it?

I did slightly remember someone moving me as I had begun to fall asleep. They… they had made it so I was in their lap. Was this the same person? I looked up, wanting to who it was. "Prussia?"

**Serious author's note explaining what went into this chapter xP  
><strong>

**You should all thank my writer friend for the ending of this chapter xD The whole chapter took about three tries to write, didn't like where it was going so I suddenly just said, "Screw it! I'm doing a dream sequence!" And ending up in Prussia's lap... that was both through the review of Absolutly Incredibl American Hero (needed spaces or it wouldn't post =.=) and my friend. **

**I was originally having it be Prussia because of the review but then at the end of the chapter I was like... "Oooh, I could be really mean and have a shock ending where it isn't Prussia that's holding her!" But then I began thinking about it and went to my friend, asking, "I've written it to where people will think the main character is being comforted by the love interest. So she looks up. Should it be the love interest or someone completely different whom has no romantic ties with her?"**

**This friend, who writes original romance/action stories, responded with, "Love interest, predictable yes but that doesn't work if it's just someone that has no ties." So be thankful for his input if you liked this chapter's ending xD It really came down to what he said.**

**FYI, the other person it would've been would've been Spain jut for friendship building and the akwardness/randomness it would've caused xP So there's a little bit of what went into this chapter ^.^ Really happy I went with the dream sequence cause the other routs sucked =.= **


	21. Embarrassment

Prussia was holding me. Sharing a blanket with me. Trying to comfort and console me as I cried in my sleep. He was caring for me in my time of need. It seemed so… strange. Yea, strange was a good way to put it. Maybe I was still dreaming. It was completely possible. But… this felt real… extremely real. It was a real that I really liked though.

Prussia blinked as he stared down at me, a surprise expression slowly becoming one of complete horror and embarrassment. He'd been caught in the act of acting caring towards me. Even if it was just me being the one who caught him it still seemed to be extremely embarrassing to him.

The next few moments felt like ones frozen in time. Neither Prussia or I moved, we didn't even blink. I found myself staring up at Purssia, unable to react any other way. The only thing, aside from Prussia, I was aware of at that moment, was the blush that was slowly rising in my cheeks.

Prussia suddenly broke the awkward tension we were slowly drowning in. It caught me completely off guard. Was this how these types of awkward moments were usually broken or solved? By smashing your face into the other person's, initiating a kiss that left the other person completely speechless, lightheaded and out of breath?  
>I wasn't sure how to react. It was my first kiss. It was surprising Prussia hadn't managed to kiss me during the time I was stuck in France's house, but it somehow hadn't happened. The idea of this being my first kiss both scared and excited me.<p>

This was Prussia. He was major jerk but I'd really begun to like him. Why? I had no idea why. Inner fan girl possibly. Maybe it was just a cruel trick of fate for me to be attracted to him. But he had just been comforting me in my sleep and had seemed really embarrassed about being caught. So maybe he had a truly nice side. And he definitely seemed to be attracted to me as well, having said my name in my sleep.

I suddenly found myself kissing back. All the thoughts and confusion left my head. Everything began to feel completely natural, no thoughts needed or used.  
>Prussia pulled me closer, slowing down the kiss. Making it more gentle. I began melting into it, easily following his movements.<p>

I wanted the kiss to go on forever. It felt like so much of the unneeded stress was melting away during it. But, unfortunately, all good things have to end. This one ended abruptly and embarrassingly.

The sound of someone clearing their throat appeared in my ear. Prussia and I immediately pulled apart and looked up. Standing and looking down at us were Spain and France, both with approving smirks on their faces. I felt my face heat up as Prussia began stuttering, both of us acting as though we'd been caught partaking in a forbidden act. "I-it… this isn't…" I tried to say, only to have France shush me, placing his a finger over my lips.

"No need to explain ma petit fleur~"**(1)** France said, chuckling at how red Prussia and I were. "It's obvious that you two are just acting on la amour you two feel for each other!"

"Wha-what?" I asked, my blush most likely deepening my two or three shades.

Spain laughed. I was beginning to see how alike they could be to Canary and Mayotte. They were by no means as mean and rude as the two girls. But they definitely enjoyed teasing like their sisters. "Si!**(2)** Is no shame in it! You two obviously like each other," Spain said, winking as he continued. "Just remember to play safely~"

Oh god. Why did he have to go there? It was an incredibly easy comment to come up with and say. That didn't make it any less embarrassing though. I had to block it out. Get away and hide from the embarrassment somehow. Thus, I did the fist thing I could think of. I hid my face in Prussia's shirt and pulled the blanket over my head.

"So adorable," France cooed, laughing to himself.

I should've know that action would on egg them on. I had given them a huge opening in doing that. But it at least made it so the couldn't see me and I couldn't see them. That was more than I had had beforehand.

I let myself relax slightly, attempting to block out the teasing from Spain and France. I suddenly felt an arm wrap around my waist and a hand tenderly stroke my back. I squeaked, the sudden contact causing a slight shiver to run up my spine. The sound of laughter, Prussia's included, sounded. I blushed again, thankful I was in the dark where nobody could see me.

A few moments passed and the pilot announced that we'd be landing soon. I peaked out from underneath the blanket and saw that France and Spain had gone back to their seats on the other side of the plane. They waved, chuckling at me. I glared, annoyed with how immature they were being. Like I could talk. Hiding under a blanket. I was kind of pathetic. Okay… I was more than kind of pathetic.

I looked up, completely removing the blanket from my head, and saw that Prussia was looking down at me. His expression was difficult to interpret. He looked slightly amused yet their was also a few hints of embarrassment, awkwardness, and pride as well. Me, I probably looked like an open book. The only thing I had on my mind at that point was the question of where we went from here. "W-we… uh… um…"

"We can talk about this later," Prussia said before beginning to motion towards Spain and France. "When those two dummkopfs**(3)** aren't around." I nodded, feeling that that would be a wise idea. "We'll have plenty of time when we get to the hotel."

"Hotel?"

I hadn't been told anything about a hotel. Wasn't the meeting today anyway? "Oh yea, the meeting got move to tomorrow because different people, like us, had to fly into America for this. West won't even be getting in until late tonight," Prussia explained.

I nodded. That seemed as logical and legit a reason as any. And with that I suddenly realized that Prussia was still holding me in his lap. I felt my face heat up as I scrambled to get up. A chuckle escaped him as I began to fall. I cried out and shut my eyes but the hard thud that came from landing never happened. I opened my eyes and saw that Prussia had kept me from falling. I blushed and quietly said the words, "thank you."

I was soon seated in between Spain and France, they somehow having gotten me squeezed between the two of them before I could do anything in retaliation. Prussia sat across from me, looking annoyed at the teasing his two friends were putting us through.

After about ten minutes the plane landed we were greeted by America. "Dudes! You all made it!" he said excitedly before catching sight of what Canary and Mayotte had done to me. "Whoa! You look hot Marissa!"

I blushed and glanced away. "Th-thanks…" I muttered.

America laughed before leading us towards a huge limousine. "Woah," I said, somewhat excited to get to ride in a limo for the first time. "It's so big!"

"That's what she said," America said, laughing hysterically as I face palmed at his joke.

We all got in and found that it was incredibly roomy. I ended up between America, whom slung his arm around my shoulder and talked loudly and almost directly into my ear the entire way to the hotel, and Prussia who was glaring daggers at France and Spain, practically daring them to tease us in front of America. It was an awkward and headache inducing ride for me, one that I really wanted be over with as soon as possible. So much for limo rides being awesome.

**1: My little flower  
>2: Yes<strong>  
><strong>3: Idiots<br>Hmmm... this seems incredibly awkward =.=**

**Canary: I won!**

**Wha-what!**

**Mayotte: *Hands Canary money with a grumpy expression* We were taking bets on you and Prussia would finally suck face.**

**Y-you what!**

**Canary: And I said you wouldn't make it off the plane ^.^**

**Shu-shuddup!**

**Mayotte: But really? It was your first kiss? Kinda sad...**

**Canary: But totally lucky for Prussia! It means you won't know how horrible a kisser her is!**

**=.= Go away... just leave me alone you two.**


	22. Feelings

After about a half hour the limo stopped in front of a beautifully decorated hotel. Though, having stayed in France's house for about three weeks, I found it to be not as breathtaking as I normally would have. Granted, it was still an amazing sight but there was a lack of not being used to it. This might have bothered me had it not been for all the things running around in my mind. Well, there was also a fair amount of nations roaming around.

Italy was lazing on a bench outside of the hotel with Romano yelling at him about how much of a turn he was, Spain quickly departed from us and went to talk to the two Italian brothers. Russia was hiding behind a rather large fern by the bench, Belarus running around and yelling about how they should become one.

Sweden was, seemingly, brooding in a corner with a terrified Finland beside him. Austria and Hungary were giving Prussia a death glare while Britain complained about people not having any taste. China was holding his panda, looking content before spotting the Hello Kitty on my shirt. This caused him to run over and glomp me, yelling out, "So cute!" as he did so.

I toppled over, China atop me as I landed. "Ow…"

"So cute!" China squealed again, pulling me into a sitting position and hugging me.

I sighed, trying to pry China off of me as Japan walked over. "Ah, konichiwa Marissa-san," he said with a friendly smile before being pushed aside by Greece.

China was pulled off of me as Greece bent down to look at my shirt. "That is a cat, yes?" he asked as I spotted a kitten beside him.

"Yea," I responded, petting the kitten and having to hold in my squeals of girlyness.

Cats, especially kittens, were just so irresistible. They were soft and cuddly. They were incredibly cute and could be insanely sweet depending on the cat at well. All of the factors added together made it so I found them amazing.

The kitten purred as I stroked it's fluffy coat. It was a calico and it reminded me of my cat back at home. My cat was a calico as well, be she was a great deal older than this kitten. "Hey there," I said as the kitten crawled into my lap. "What's your name?"

Greece looked at the kitten, now curled up in my lap. "…She seems to like you," he said.

I smiled up at Greece. "She's really sweet, what's her name?"

Greece remained quiet for a few minutes before responding. "Lucy," he said.

I stopped myself from sweat dropping. This was just like when Japan had asked him the name of the cat during part of world series. But they weren't aware I knew that. "Oh, that's a very nice name for her," I said.

The conversation carried on but before long I was pulled up by Prussia. "Go on walk with me?" he asked.

"I… um…" I said, knowing we had to talk about what had happened but dreading the awkwardness that could come from it. But I quickly agreed figuring that it was best to just deal with not rather than later. "Yea, okay."

I handed Lucy to Greece and scratched behind her ears one last time before Prussia dragged me off. We walked for a while, neither one of us saying much of anything until we reached a rather large park. Prussia began walking towards a bench and I followed. We both sat down, me feeling an unbearably awkward tension in the air. It was almost suffocating. But the only way to break through it to the breathable surface was to talk. So… I broke the silence between. "Wha-what's the deal with airline food?"

Prussia looked at me with a look of pure confusion. I looked back with a light yet nervous smile. "What the hell?" he asked, suddenly laughing, whether it was from the pure randomness or the awkwardness still lingering in the air I wasn't sure.

"It's just something a friend of mine always says to make people laugh. I figured a laugh was needed," I explained, smiling from the memory of one of my awesomely random friends.

Prussia nodded, seemingly contemplating it for a moment. He then looked at me, his expression looking slightly unsure. Oh god. He was bringing it up. My stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots. What was going to happen? Would I end up completely embarrassed? Or would it end on a happy note? Either way, I was slightly scared to find out.

Prussia cleared his throat. "About what happened on the plane…" he said.

I nodded, beginning to blush. "I'm… not really sure what to think about it," I said, unable to look Prussia in the eyes.

"Well… it's obvious that there's ah… feelings between us."

My blush deepened as tears sprung to my eyes. I was really scared. This type of thing, talking about feelings between two people… it was more terrifying that I could've ever imagined. Prussia must've noticed because he suddenly grabbed my hand and began talking in a softer tone. "Hey… don't worry. It's not hard to believe that you could like someone awesome as me!"

Oh god. He was making it sound as if the feelings only went one way. Was this really like every other time I liked somebody? Was I the only having those feelings? Had he only kissed me before because of the awkwardness we'd been enduring? Was he only playing with me? I needed to speak up, ask that question if I wanted to have any peace of mind on the matter. "A-and… what about you? Are there any feelings from you about me?" I asked quietly, taking my hand away from his.

Prussia's face reddened at my question. He glanced to the side. Why was he acting this way? It didn't seem anything like him to be so shy and embarrassed. And he was being unusually nice the past few days. None of it made sense to me. It was all way to confusing for me to handle.

When he didn't answer for a few minutes I decided to take a hint. Emotionally unstable and mentally drained, I stood up. Prussia looked at me with confusion before his eyes widened. He must've been realizing the idea I'd gotten from his silence. The idea that he wasn't answering because he felt it too awkward to say that he didn't feel the same way back.

And why should he have? He'd been a nation all of his life, albeit and ex nation now. Me? I'd grown up a normal human who dealt with normal human problems. Not only that, I was a weird human. There was no use denying that. People had called me strange and weird all of my life. I had always shrugged it off outwardly and hidden the hurt it caused inside.

And if I were to say I had any real idea about history I'd be lying. I hadn't even paid much attention to my history classes until I found Hetalia. So it wasn't like I was special in that respect. All I knew was what I'd learned from the show and what had stuck from different high school classes I'd taken so far.

And besides, it isn't like it would've worked out between Prussia and I even if he had felt something for me. I'd always known him to be a fictional character based of a land mass and that would probably always be the case to a certain extent, no matter how much I wished it wasn't.

Plus there was a huge age gap. I was a baby compared to him. He'd been around for so long, not that I was actually sure how long he'd been a nation. I was only seventeen years old and a newborn nation. I wasn't even fit to be a nation really. I'd probably lead my people to ruins and they'd regret ever declaring independence.  
>Prussia reached to grab my hand, to stop me so he could say something, but I pulled away and began walking away. He quickly got up and followed after me. "Please, let me explain," he said, keeping his pace even with mine. I didn't respond other than trying to speed up my pace, only to have him do the same. "Where're you even going? The hotel is the other way!"<p>

I looked down and stopped walking. Tears began racing down my face. I didn't have any real idea to where exactly I had been walking towards. I had just wanted to get away but that didn't seem to be working out.

Suddenly the one place I truly wanted to go popped into my mind. "Home," I said, my voice no louder than a quivering whisper.

"What?" Prussia asked, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.

I looked up at him and noticed that he winced from the amount of pain, fear, and sadness in my expression. "Home," I said again, this time louder than before. "I… I want to go home. So I'll just keep walking until I find my way back…"

I began walking again but Prussia grabbed my hand and stopped me from going any further. I looked back, tears still rolling down my face as he pulled me towards himself. "Just walking isn't going to get you anywhere…" he said, earning a look of confusion through my tears. "You need to know which way your walking to get where you want to go. If you just start off in some random direction you'll just end up more lost."

Words of wisdom from Prussia. I hadn't been expecting that. I looked at him as the flow of tears increased. He attempted to pull me closed but I kept him from pulling me into a hug. He hadn't answered my question so I couldn't allow myself to become more attached than I already was. "M-maybe I d-don't care if I get m-m-more lost than I already am," I said. "A-as long as it g-gets me a-away from all thi-this crap!"

Prussia frowned as I began full on sobbing. Nothing sounded better than being at home, warm and safe in my bed. I felt as if my head were spinning, leaving me to sway and suddenly lose my balance. Prussia quickly caught me, a worried expression on his face. "Shit! A-are you alright Marissa?"

I leaned against Prussia, fully aware of what was going on around me but unable to react to any of it. All of my energy felt drained. All of the emotions going round in me were physically exhausting me.

It felt oddly familiar, as though something like this had happened before. Oh yea… it was exactly like the last time I'd had an anxiety attack from all the drama and stress I'd been getting at school. That was a long time ago, about two years I think.

Prussia laid me down on the grassy ground we'd been walking by, looking at me with worry. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths, attempting to keep myself from hyperventilating. After a few minutes I felt my heart rate slow as my breathing evened out. Good. That was a good sign.

I sat up and looked at Prussia, quietly wiping the tears out of my eyes as a wave of embarrassment washed over me. "S-sorry…" I apologized, feeling as though I'd done something wrong.

Prussia looked at me with confusion. "For what?" he asked.

I wasn't sure why I felt guilty to be quite honest, it just felt like breaking down like that, no matted how uncontrollable it had been for me, was inappropriate. It shouldn't have but it did. Nothing I could do about that feeling. "For being over emotional, I guess," I said, looking away with a blush on my face.

Prussia looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face before speaking. "I'll only forgive you if you answer this question," he said causing me to look at him with confusion in my eyes.

"Okay…" I said. "Shoot."

"Are you alright?"

That was all he was asking? It was simple enough to answer but odd to ask with him having seen me recover. "Yea, I'm fine now…" I said, though that wasn't completely true.

I was still feeling a slight bit of hurt from not having had my question answered. But it wasn't like I was going to bring that up. It wouldn't do any good. If anything it would probably just cause me to feel an unbearably painful sadness again. "Good," Prussia said before sitting down and pulling me into another kiss.

I suddenly felt light headed and unsure of what was happening. Everything felt like it was going by in a blur and, before I knew it, the kiss was over. Prussia had pulled away and was looking at me with a slight smirk. "As for your question earlier… yea. There's feelings for you too."

**Internet is finally working again :D Wasn't working all day and that made me sad when I got home :( Oh well. Just happy I'm pretty much done with my CBA for History :D I need to make one small change and the teacher says I'll pass state wise :D I already have it at an 88% for what I'll get as a grade on it in the class. So I'm quite happy ^.^**

**America: Good, that means you can make more cookies ^.^**

**...**

**Prussia: No, she's going to make me a sammich D**

**=.= Just shut up both of you. And for those wondering why a bunch of countries are there when it was supposed to be a G8 meeting, all will be explained later :)**


	23. Mascara

My heart skipped a beat. Time had slowed down to a crawl as Prussia's words sunk in. Was I dreaming? It didn't feel like a dream with everything else that had happened today but there was still the possibility. One way to find out. I brought my hand to my arm and pinched the flesh. "Ow…." I said, a smile slowly forming on my face.

I felt myself lose control of what I was doing for a second. It was my turn now. I moved forward and kissed Prussia again. This kiss started out slightly faster than the other ones. Despite me having initiated the kiss I found little control in the kiss. Prussia seemed to just naturally lead the kiss and, with as little experience I had in the field of kissing I didn't find that surprising.

Eventually we pulled apart and looked at each other. "So do you want to maybe go out with me tonight?" Prussia asked, nonchalant and smooth as if he were just asking what I thought about the weather.

I blinked and smiled. "I dunno… cause you see, I kinda already know someone who I was hoping to go out with tonight," I said with a teasing tone.

Prussia laughed. "Like he could compare with me! I'm awesome!"

"Well… I suppose you have a point there. What were you thinking?"

Prussia smirked. "Maybe a dinner and possibly a movie?"

"Oh? Sounds fun. I think I can manage that."

"Awesome, so it's a date then?"

I smiled. "Yea, it's a date."

It honestly felt really good to be able to say that. I wasn't sure why, but it did. Prussia smirked and stood up, offering me a hand once he was standing. I took it and he pulled me up. We began walking back towards the hotel, our fingers intertwined. As we got closer I heard a commotion and saw that France and Britain were involved in a brawl. "Shut up you frog! She came from me! There's no way she'd be getting involved with someone that associate their self so easily with you!" Britain shouted.

France laughed. "You think so black sheep of Europe?" he asked before spotting Prussia and I. "Then what is that?"

Oh shit. Britain looked over and saw that Prussia and I were holding hands. His expression of rage turned to one of shock. He marched over to us, leaving France to laugh and gloat about how he had been right. "What's the meaning of this?" Britain yelled, causing people, and when I say I people I meant nations, to stare. "I was just yelling at that wine guzzling pervert about how there was no way in hell that you want to stay with him and how you couldn't possibly be interested in someone like… like him!" Britain was now motioning towards Prussia. "Bloody hell! I was defending you and you do this!"

"Some like _him_?" Prussia asked with a glare. "What do you mean by that? I am awesome!"

I sighed as I attempted to think of a way to defuse the situation, Prussia and Britain now arguing back and forth. It was surprising that Britain even cared so much. My people had declared independence from him and yet he was still doing what he felt was defending me, though the latter part of the 'defending' had really been defending his own tastes rather than mine. I had to stop this before either of the men involved in the slowly rising yelling match resorted to throwing punches. Violence wasn't going to solve anything and it was quickly approaching. "Um…" I said, attempting to interject myself. "Shouldn't what I have to say about this matter?"

"Stay out of this!"

I frowned. Both Prussia and Britain had yelled at me. I was trying to keep them from hurting each other but they were too intent on bickering to even let me talk. If they wanted to be that way then fine. I walked away from the scene and towards where Italy, Romano, and Spain were. Before I could make it over to them though I was stopped by Russia. Hadn't he been hiding from Belarus? Oh well. I looked at him with a friendly smile, slightly scared of the much larger and powerful country. "Hello," I said, attempting to hide the fear.

"Hi," Russia said with a smile as he looked down at me. "When all this world meeting stuff is done, you'll become one with me, da?"

World meeting? I thought France had said it would be a G8 meeting. Maybe I'd heard wrong. Or France could've lied. Or the it had been changed and I'd just never been notified about it. Any one of those reasons would explain why China, Greece, and whole ton of other nations outside of the G8 group were here as well. I mentally shrugged it off. It didn't matter much to me if it was or wasn't a world meeting.

The thing that really mattered was somehow telling Russia I didn't want to become one with him without upsetting him and making him my enemy. I really didn't want Russia as an enemy. Hell, I didn't want any country as an enemy. But Russia as an enemy sounded like one of the most terrifying possibilities. I honestly found him to be an awesome character and loved how his voice actor portrayed him in the show. But in person Russia was pretty dang terrifying. He seemed like he was good foot taller than me. Everyone here seemed to tower over me but with how bulky Russia was under his coat made him seem even bigger to me. The scary purple aura around him didn't help much either.

I laughed nervously as Russia waited for my answer. What was I supposed to say? No way I'd just tell him yes. I didn't want to become one with him. But I also didn't want to piss him off. This type of dilemma sucked. "I-I'll think about," I finally said, slowly taking a step back as my expression became more and more frantic.

Russia smiled, probably pleased with not being outright told no. "Okay then! I'll talk to you later about it then, da?" he asked.

"Ah… sure! Yea, that's sounds good!" I said, continuing to back away from the large and terrifying man who just kept walking forward as I backed away.

Russia smiled and nodded, not saying anything but still standing in front of me. After a few minutes, me too afraid to say anything or really try to walk away, Russia spoke again. "You have time to think about it now. You make your decision, da?"

I almost sweat dropped. I think he found it impossible for me to say no. But that really wasn't the case. I could easily say no, I was just terrified to. And that was a great advantage for him to have over me. Nothing to get what you wanted like a fear tactic. But I had to find a way out of this. Not only for my sake but for the sake of the people in my land. "I uh, really haven't had sufficient time to come to a decision on this. But I'll definitely make you aware when I have!" I said, unable to think of any other way to get Russia off my back about the matter.

Russia smiled and nodded again. "Okay then," he said before getting a slightly uneasy look on his face. "I, ah, will be going now. If you see a girl name Belarus running around with a knife yelling about becoming one with me please tell her you didn't see me, da?"

"Mkay," I said, with a nod of affirmation as Russia hurried off and hid somewhere.

I finally made it over to Italy, Romano, and Spain. "Ciao**(1)** Marissa!" Italy said happily, jumping up and hugging me.

"Hi Italy," I said, laughing as the overly eccentric man began talking about how much he'd been wanting to make pasta with me again because it'd been so much fun the last time.

Romano didn't pay much attention to me as he was yelling at Spain to stay off of him, Spain attempting to hug Romano the entire time. Italy suddenly stopped talking about pasta and frowned. He brought his face closer to mine, a thoughtful expression on his as he attempted to figure out something. "You look different Marissa. Like… really bella**(2)** but something looks off," Italy said, with a thoughtful tone. He then brought his fist down onto his palm, as if having figured something out. "I got it! You look like you've been crying. Why were you crying Marissa?"

That brought Romano and Spain's attention away from each other and they both looked at me. Romano squinted, trying to figure out how Italy could see that I'd been crying. I was curious to tell how he'd figured it out as well. Britain hadn't said anything, though he'd been raging quite a bit when he'd spoken to me. But Russia hadn't said anything about it either, he may not have cared though. How was it apparent to Italy though? "Fratello's**(3)** right for once," Romano said. "You're eyes are all red and puffy. And you have black streaks running down your face."

Right. The mascara and eyeliner. Stupid Mayotte and Canary. If they had to apply makeup to me they could've at least used waterproof makeup. I'd have to go wash the streaks off soon that way I didn't have to keep explaining myself.

Spain frowned as well. "Did Senor**(4)** Prussia make you cry or something?" he asked.

I had to think about that one. I suppose Prussia was a partial cause to the breakdown but there was a lot more to it than just him. It had been a full on anxiety attack and mental breakdown from everything that had happened during the course of the last month. And I didn't want to lay any blame on Prussia, he didn't actually deserve any of it in a way. "No, no. Nothing like that," I said, partially lying and partially telling the truth. "It was just sort of a build up from everything going on. It was all bound to explode at some point."

Spain nodded thoughtfully, knowing what I was talking about for the most part. Italy and Romano frowned, not really comprehending since he was probably unaware of the majority of the crap I'd gone through whilst at France's house. Before any one of them could respond verbally a boom sounded behind us.

Crap. I looked at where the sound had come from and saw that Prussia and Britain had finally started resorting to blows. This probably wouldn't end well.

**1: Hello  
>2: Pretty<strong>  
><strong>3: Brother<strong>  
><strong>4: Mr.<strong>  
><strong>Yay! I managed to write this! It didn't want to cooperate and I blame Prussia :I<strong>

**Prussia: Vhat did I do!**

**That whole beginning scene after you confessed your feelings didn't want be written!**

**Prussia: And that's my fault? You're the author here, not the awesome me.**

**...Shuddup :I I blame you either way.**


	24. Brawl

I ran over to where the two men were now fighting. I had hoped they would be mature enough to not get to this point. Apparently I was wrong though. Several different nations were attempting to pull Britain and Prussia apart but their attempts only seemed to be making the fighting escalate. Maybe I could get in-between them? That could stop them. I stepped forward but was stopped by someone grabbing my shoulder. I looked back and saw Spain looking at me with a serious expression. "Don't get involved senorita,**(1)**" he warned me. "You'll only end up getting hurt if you do."

Spain was most likely right but just standing by while Prussia and Britain duked it out seemed wrong. There had to be something I could do without literally inserting myself into the fight where I could get hurt. Maybe getting in-between them wasn't necessary. I pulled away from Spain and smiled at him. "Don't worry," I said. "I've got this!"

Spain looked at me with an expression of uncertainty but nodded back. "If you're sure…"

I weaved my way through the nations that had gotten between the fight and myself. I was attempting to get behind Prussia, catch him off guard, and pull him away. I had to hope he would listen if he was being yelled at to stop by me but there was no telling at this point, it was purely based on hope at this point.

As I made it to the inside of the circle of people I felt someone bump into me as the ran forward to see what was going on. This set me off balance, making me stumble into the fight itself. Shit, this wasn't good. I felt a sudden pain erupt in my nose. I cried out in pain as I stumbled back, causing Prussia to fall over with me on top of him. "Take that you bloody wanker!" Britain yelled as he began laughing triumphantly, thinking he had hit Prussia and not realizing I'd gotten in-between them.

I groaned, my nose throbbing with pain. Britain laughing died down as he looked down and saw me lying on Prussia. Prussia sat up, holding me in his arms. Britain's eyes widened as he began stammering, trying to figure out what had just happened and why there was blood dribbling down my face. I brought my hand up to figure out if any bones were broken and let out a yelp of pain.

Broken, my nose was definitely broken. And there was a decent amount of blood running down my face and onto my shirt. This sucked. But, oddly enough, I didn't start crying. I had a low pain tolerance and had cried a lot when I'd broken my arm as a ten year old. But now… I wasn't shedding a tear. That just struck me as odd for some reason. And I wasn't feeling sick from the blood which was unlike me as well. I wasn't going to complain about either of these things but it came off as really strange to me.

A few nations began freaking out, saying how we needed to get me to a hospital while Britain continued to open his mouth, unable to find words. It was then that something suddenly went off in me. I wasn't sure what it was but all I could hear was a high pitched squeal. I saw that Prussia was looking at me with a sudden look of worry and urgency on his face. I brought my hands to my head, holding it and trying to block out the squeal by covering my ears. I shut my eyes, wincing from the sound.  
>Something finally broke through the sound. My name. Someone was shouting my name. They sounded scared. But who was it? They sounded slightly familiar but the voice wasn't sticking well enough for me to be able to name it. I wanted to respond but I felt like my voice was caught in my throat. And I couldn't open my eyes. It was like I was completely frozen.<p>

It was one of the most terrifying things ever to feel. To want to call out or even just open your eyes but not be able to. A face suddenly flashed in front of me, despite my eyes being closed. It went by in a blur, not allowing me to see who it was but I could say one thing. The person didn't look familiar. I didn't know them. But they seemed to know me. They had said my name as they blurred by, laughing cruelly.

I felt myself regaining control as the face zoomed by again, this time saying something about how I was fulfilling my role well. Role? What were they talking about? "Just keep getting stronger," the said. "Keep gaining their trust and then I'll do the rest."

God. That voice had some sort of familiarity to it. It was definitely male, that was for sure. But what I'd seen of the face looked completely foreign to me and it was going by so quickly that I couldn't pick out any gender defining details. And what the person was saying… getting stronger, gaining trust, and they'll do the rest? What was that about? Whatever it was… it didn't sound good. Not one bit.

The face and voice became more distant as the squealing died down. The pain in my nose was slowly fading. But I wasn't losing consciousness. It was on the contrary to that. My eyes snapped open and I gasped. Prussia was looking at me with worry and fear, several other nations gathered around me as well.

I looked around, slowly bringing my hands away from my ears. There was no longer any pain in my nose but the wetness of the blood was incredibly apparent as was the cold sweat I was now covered in. It felt pretty gross to be honest. I really wanted to take a shower and get into some clean clothes.

I sat up and looked around. "Um… hi?" I said, glancing around nervously.

So many people staring at me was beginning to become uncomfortable. A few nations seemed to notice this so they backed off, allowing me to become a little more comfortable. I glanced at Britain. Was it possible he would be able to explain who the face had been? My country had come from him. So he might have more of a chance at explaining something like that to me. But if he couldn't I'd come off as insane or I'd be questioned and the fact that this wasn't even the right reality for me could become exposed.

What the hell was I supposed to do? I'd just have to wait and figure it out later because at that moment someone began shouting. "Doctor coming through! Move aside please! Doctor here!"

An older gentleman was pushing his way through the group of nations. He was being led by Japan. "I have retrieved a medical expert as requested!" Japan announced.

How long had I been unable to respond to anything? For Japan to have been able to go and get a doctor it must've been a while. That was unsettling. It hadn't felt like that long and I'd been terrified. Didn't being scared tend to make things seem longer than they actually were? But it had felt like a matter of seconds to me. It couldn't have been though if Japan had gotten a doctor though.

The doctor knelt down in front of me and began examining my nose. "Hmmm," he said. "It's not broken… it doesn't even look like you'll have bruising."

I looked at the doctor with confusion. "But it was throbbing with pain just a little bit ago. It doesn't hurt in the slightest now," I said. "I'm not trained in the medical field but… that sounds a bit… odd to me."

"It does to me as well," the doctor said thoughtfully before smiling and shrugging. "But perhaps you're just lucky."

I looked at the doctor with a slightly disbelieving expression as the nations began walking away. The ones who had seemed worried about me were noticeably more relaxed now, Prussia included. But Prussia still had a sense of worry on his face and was slightly tense. Was he wondering about when I'd been unable to react to anything?

Maybe I should talk to him about it later. The idea of telling him about it was nerve wracking for the same reasons I'd been scared to ask Britain about it. But what if it were really important. Me giving into the fear could end up screwing over me, along with others, big time. It could also do nothing though.

I was a coward. I was too scared about what might happen if everyone found out about my knowledge. What a cowardice and selfish decision. But I wasn't going back on it, not at this point at least. My fear was far too overpowering to do at this point.

The doctor stood up. "If there are any problems go to the nearest medical center and have them check you out. That's really all I can suggest at this point," he said before walking away.

I glanced at Prussia. "I, um, really need to get some clean clothes and get cleaned up. I feel gross right now," I said, unsure of what else to say.

Prussia nodded and stood up, Britain finally finding his voice as Prussia set me down as gently as he possibly could. "I'm so sorry!" Britain said. "I-I… I didn't even know you were there!"

I smiled and shrugged. "Don't stress it, no harm done. At least it stopped the fight," I said, attempting to laugh but the laugh coming out wrong from my how shaken I was.

Britain looked away, laughing nervously. "W-well… if you say so."

"I do," I said with a nod. "And for the record… I don't want to stay with France. But who I'm interested in is my choice, not yours."

Britain blinked, looking shocked from me bringing up what had caused the entire fight. I glanced up and saw that Prussia was smirking at Britain. I t sighed and shook my head before walking to where America was, figuring he might know where my room was since it was his country that was hosting the meeting. "Could you please show me where my room is?" I asked.

America grinned and gave me a thumbs up. "Sure thing! I'll be your hero and save the day!" America exclaimed happily.

I smiled and nodded before following him. We got to the room fairly quickly and America gave me the room key. "I took the liberty of getting all your stuff from my place set up in there for you," he said proudly.

I blinked, surprised America had been so considerate. "Thank you, that was very nice of you," I said, opening the door.

America laughed and waved it off, saying that it was no problem at all. He then left me to get cleaned up.

**1: Girl  
><strong>**Hooray for just winging it on this chapter! Just sort of wrote itself to be honest =.= Hadn't planned on that one weird bit but I have ideas for it now :D Hopefully it was an enjoyable chapter ^.^**


	25. Awkward

It was the evening now and Prussia would be showing up soon. I was dressed casually, not that I had even had a choice in that. The clothes I had were all the ones that America had gotten me when I was staying with him. Meaning all I had to wear were t-shirts of video games and shows I liked. I didn't really care though.  
>It wasn't like Prussia and I were going anywhere fancy. Movies and dinner. Wasn't expecting a fancy dinner either, I was actually hoping we'd just go somewhere low key like McDonalds or Jack in the Box to be honest. I wanted a relaxed date.<p>

A knock suddenly sounded on the door to my room. Prussia wasn't supposed to be here for another half hour. Maybe he was early. Didn't really matter much either way, I was already ready to leave. I walked over and looked out the peep hole. It took all of my will power to not cry out in fear.

I quietly grabbed my shoes and walked over to the door that joined my room with Hungary's. When I knocked on it Hungary immediately opened it and looked at quizzically. "Yes?" she asked.

I put my finger over my lips in an attempt to get her to be quieter as another knock sounded on the door. "We know you're in there Marissa!" a voice yelled out.  
>Hungary raised an eyebrow at me. "Was that Canary?" she asked.<p>

I nodded and gave her a pleading expression. "Please hide me… I already had to go through a makeover by them the other day. I don't want to again," I said.

"Make over?" Hungary asked, and evil smile now playing on her lips.

Crapola… I'd forgotten Hungary had put Chibitalia in a dress. Thus she probably wasn't as opposed to forced makeover as I was. I began backing away but was tackled to the ground. "Help!" I cried out as the door to my room suddenly swung open. I looked and saw Canary and Mayotte smirking at me. "No!"

Canary walked over, an excited expression on her face. "We heard you and Senor**(1)** Prussia are going on a date tonight!" she said as I struggled to get away from Hungary. "And you said you two weren't together!"

I groaned, whoever had spilled the beans was going to die a slow and painful death by my hand. Long story short on this one, I was forced to go through another makeover. This time instead of being handcuffed and just made to sit I was handcuffed to the bedpost for the bed in my room. Worse yet I was left there, gagged and blindfolded, Mayotte having said it would be a surprise for Prussia.

This time I'd been forced into a light blue baby doll top, light blue acid washed skinny jeans, and blue flats. Canary had take charge of my hair this time, re-straightening all of it aside from the bangs and then tying the straightened part into a high ponytail.

"Have fun!" Canary and Mayotte yelled as the went into Hungary's room for a girl's night, Hungary closing the door behind all of them.

I attempted to yell at them to unlock the handcuffs but the gag did it's job well. This sucked. Eventually a knock sounded on the door and the person noticed that the door wasn't completely closed. "Hello?"

Oh god, it wasn't even Prussia. It was Germany. He was into kinky stuff so he was going to get the completely wrong idea. But I needed to be untied. I'd just have to hope he wouldn't assume and leave me there for Prussia. I began trying to call out for help and soon heard a surprised gasp. "O-oh… um…" he said, most likely blushing.

I attempted to speak but found that all my words were coming out muffled and distorted. Germany walked over and took the gag and blindfold off of me. I gave him a look of gratitude as he placed my glasses back on me. "Bruder**(2)** wanted me to tell you he'd be running a little late but I can tell him that you have some… ah… special arrangement for him," Germany said, glancing away with a blush on his face.

"I didn't do this!" I said, quickly correcting the German while a blush began covering my face. Germany raised an eyebrow, most likely not believing me. "Canary, Mayotte, and Hungary decided to give me a forced makeover and left me like this."

Germany nodded, an understanding expression on his face. "Ah yes, that sounds like something those two might do. But Hungary… no, I can see her getting dragged into it for the sake of a makeover."

I nodded and looked at Germany with a pleading expression. "Please unlock the handcuffs so I can go kill them. The keys are on the dresser over there."

Germany chuckled. "I can untie you but I can't allow you go and kill those three, especially for such a petty reason."

Petty? Canary and Mayotte were monstrous brats. I hardly doubted they'd be missed much by anyone with how rude they were. Hungary would be difficult to take down and I'm sure at least a few people would be more than a bit peeved at me if I actually managed to take down Hungary, but that was a HUGE if.

"Just help me, please," I muttered bitterly.

Germany looked at me with a serious expression. "First you have to promise me that you won't go and try to kill or hurt those three," he said.

I glared at the door, not responding. Germany sighed and turned to walk away. "H-hey!" I cried out, trying to stop Germany from walking away. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to help me?"

"I already told you," Germany said. "You have to promise that you won't try to kill or hurt Hungary, Canary, and Mayotte."

"I can't honestly make a promise like that!" I said angrily.

Germany didn't respond, he just walked out while sighing as though he were disappointed. A little while later Prussia came in, a smirk on his face. He raised an eyebrow as I glared at him. "When little bruder**(2)** said you were in an odd position to be waiting I wasn't quite sure what to think," he said, walking over to the bed. "But this… it's pretty kinky. Didn't think you'd be into this type of stuff."

"Just help me out of these," I said in an annoyed tone.

Prussia laughed and sat down on the bed. I began attempting to scooted away as he turned and began reaching towards me but utterly failed. In a matter of second Prussia had begun tickling me, causing me to begin laughing and squirming to get away. If my feet hadn't have been tied to the bottom part of the bedpost Prussia would've ended up getting kicked, but he was lucky that they were. "St-stop it!" I begged, giggling and laughing.

Prussia climbed on top of me, sitting on my legs as he to the tickle attack to a new level. My sides were beginning to hurt from laughing so much, a few tears escaping. "N-no moooooore!" I cried out, the bed beginning to shake from how hard I was laughing.

Prussia smirked as he stopped tickling me. He got off the bed and went over to where the keys were laying. I panted, out of breath from so much laughing. I was going to get Prussia back for that. I hated how my laugh sounded and for him to force me to laugh so much wasn't fair. True, he didn't know that detail. But he'd still have revenge brought down upon him, as would Canary and Mayotte. I wasn't even going to attempt to get even with Hungary and… well revenge on Germany sounded like it would end badly to me.

As Prussia walked back he slipped the keys in to his pocket. I looked at him with confusion. Wasn't he going to unlock the handcuffs so we could leave? "What're you doing?" I asked, my eyes following his every movement with a wary look. "You are planning on unlocking these, right?"

"Of course," Prussia said with a laugh, sitting back down on the bed. "But I just want to enjoy this disposition of yours for a little while longer. You look really cute and are probably going to try to get revenge once I free you."

"Prussia," I said, giving him the most serious expression I could muster. "Unlock these handcuffs. Now please."

Prussia laughed, leaning down and planting a light kiss on my forehead. "After you calm down and promise to not kill me."

I sighed becoming thoroughly annoyed. "Unlock the handcuffs," I said.

"Mmmm, no."

"Unlock the damn handcuffs Prussia!"

Prussia raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You have a bit of a temper. I never noticed that before," he said. "It's cute."

I let out an aggravated groan, wishing someone that wouldn't toy with me was around. I like Prussia but he was still the cocky, annoying guy the show had portrayed him to be. He was nice but he would be tough to get along with at times, this being one of them. He apparently didn't have the ability to know when to stop. That would be… frustrating to deal with.

After a little while Prussia stopped teasing me and unlocked the handcuffs, allowing me to smack him upside the head. "Ow!" he whined, rubbing the spot that had been hit. "That hurt!"

"Good," I muttered, untying the sheets Canary, Mayotte, and Hungary had used.

Prussia muttered something under his breath, the only words I'd caught being about how he was awesome and awesome people shouldn't be getting smacked upside the head. I smiled, holding in a laugh. Somehow that had brightened my mood. I wasn't sure how, but it had.

Once I'd finished untying the sheets I turned and looked at Prussia with a smile. "So… you want to get going then?"

**1: Mister  
><strong>**2: Brother**


	26. Date

Meeting day. It was finally here. After a month of stress and turmoil I'd finally find out what was going to happen to me. To be honest, I was almost afraid that I wouldn't even make it to the meeting. After the whole, 'I'm going to kidnap and make you one of my countries' stunt that France had pulled I couldn't shake the feeling that some higher power was trying to keep me from getting things settled. That was absurd though, but so was this whole situation.

I sighed, figuring I was just being paranoid. No one would keep away from this meeting. It was too important, too necessary. Nothing would stop me, not even Canary and Mayotte pestering me to tell them how the date with Prussia had gone.

What even made them think I'd want to talk to them about it. Actually... they probably didn't even care about that aspect. It wouldn't have surprise me at all if that were the case. They weren't the types to care what you did or didn't want. As long as it worked out for them they were happy.

I wasn't going to gossip to them about Prussia and our date. It wasn't any of their business. But thinking about the date was fun though. I had had a really fun time. We'd gone and seen '21 Jump Street'. We'd both left the theater laughing, having thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Prussia had then take me to what I thought would be dinner at a fast food restaurant but ended up being a fair that America had told him about.

The fair had been a blast. We'd gotten cotton candy, rode some roller coasters, and Prussia even won me a teddy bear. The night had ended with us riding a Ferris wheel, Prussia claiming he was trying to help me with the fear of heights I'd confessed to when he suggested it. Despite having to shut my eyes and hiding my face in Prussia's shirt it ended up being a fun ride. The whole night had been awesome.

A knock suddenly sounded on my door, snapping me out of my thoughts about the night before. I blushed as I walked towards the door, feeling embarrassed for some reason. I had no reason to actually feel embarrassed. But when you're embarrassed, you're embarrassed.

I looked out the peephole and saw that America was making funny faces into it. I sighed, it was something I might do... and I was originally American. I had to wonder what that said about me. Probably that I was a dork. I was fine with that though. Better to have fun being a dork than to be board being normal.

I opened the door and smiled at America as he laughed. "Having fun?" I asked with a giggle.

"You know it!" America responded happily.

"So what brings you here?" I asked.

I knew fully well that the meeting wasn't starting until late this afternoon. It was only ten in the morning and we didn't have to be there until three in the afternoon. So why was he here so early? "I was wondering if you wanted to, ya know, hang out. I've got nothing to do and it was freaking fun to hang out with you before you got... well you know."

Oh. So he just wanted to hang out? That sounded like a fun idea. "Yea! Sounds cool, where are you thinking of going?" I said, slipping on my shoes.

America shrugged. "I dunno," he admitted, placing a hand behind his head and scratching it. "There's plenty to do around here though."

I smiled and grabbed my key to the room, following America to wherever we would end up. Along the way we ran into Canada. "Hi Canada," I said, smiling at him.

"O-oh! Hello," he said, slightly blushing.

Odd, why would he blush? I shrugged it off as America looked at Canada. "Hey dude! I didn't even notice you there!" he said as he began laughing.

That didn't surprise me at all. But it did make me feel slightly sad. Canada was one of the nicest countries in Hetalia and everyone just looked over him, as if he weren't there at all. He really did deserve more recognition. "You should come and hang out with us!" I suggested, smiling at the blushing nation and his polar bear.

"E-eh? Where you two going?" Canada asked, smiling slightly.

"We're not really sure," I said, smiling brightly. "But it should be fun either way!

Before Canada could even respond America coughed and looked at Canada. "Dude, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"S-sure..." Canada said before following America down the hall to where I couldn't hear them.

I looked around, confused to why America had suddenly dragged Canada off. It was probably none of my business, considering I'd been left out of earshot, but I couldn't help but be curious. That didn't mean I was going to snoop though. I wasn't going to do that. I'd just wait for America and Canada to get back. Luckily they were back pretty quickly too.

Canada looked disappointed. I looked at him with worry. Was something wrong? "I'm s-sorry Marissa," Canada said. "But I just remembered I'm busy until the meeting."

"Oh," I said, frowning at the turn of events. "Well... we should hang out at some other point then!"

Canada smiled lightly. "Y-yea! Sounds fun!"

"Well... anyway! We should go and find something to do!" America said, placing an arm around my shoulders and beginning to lead me away. "So much we could do, so little time!"

I laughed and waved at Canada. "See you later!"

"Y-yea! Later..."

America was being to friendly towards me. It was nice. Today would probably be really fun with such 'heroic' company. It was smile inducing just to think about.

**Short chapter is short =.= But I'm annoyed with my computer. It deleted the file that had all my Hetalia writing on it . So I now have to rewrite the majority of the beginning of the Orlando adventure . But I'm still happy because I just got back from seeing Hunger Games, which was awesome, and am in Orlando :D**


	27. Invasion

As America and I walked around the city I found America's company rather enjoyable. Yea, I'd stayed a week in his house but I'd been so scared about the meetings that I hadn't really gotten a chance to get to know him. He was obnoxious, yes. But he was also really funny and we had a lot of the same interests so it lead to some fun conversations. "You've got to be kidding," I said, crossing my arms and looking at him with a disbelieving expression.

"You're the one that's got to be kidding," America said, giving me a slight glare. "Pokemon is the coolest game ever!"

"Lies!" I declare. "Portal is way cooler."

America looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. "What are you talking about! That's a puzzle game! Puzzles require thinking! Games aren't meant for thinking!"

I looked at America with the most serious expression I could muster as I said the only comeback I could think of at that point. "You're not meant for thinking."

America and I stood, looking at each other in complete silence for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. Much of the day was spent that way and America and I became considerably closer that we'd been before. He was a lot like my friends back home in the sense of just being able to joke around with me. It was awesome to have someone like that again. A goofy friend was something that had been lacking and it felt good to have it back.

The day eventually ended with us arriving at the meeting hall. "Hey…" America said before I walked in.

I looked at him and smiled. "Yea?" I asked.

"Well, um…" he said but I cut him off.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said. "But before you say anything I just have to tell you, this was really fun day! Thanks for taking me around and showing me such a good time, you're a really good friend America!"

Ameica chuckled, but it sounded slightly sad. "Yea… fun day. Just wanted to say the same thing," he said.

I frowned. "You okay?" I asked.

He wasn't normally so… meloncholy. It was weird to hear him sound that way. Depressing even. "Yea," he said, a smile on his face. "I'm great! We should get inside for that meeting though!"

I smiled and nodded, following him in. It was finally time to see how my being a new country would be handeled.

* * *

><p><em>A few months later...<em>

Watching TV. That's all I'd been doing lately. It'd been a few months since it had been decided that I would be an independent nation and I was bored as all heck. Well... I wasn't completely bored. I had Netflix to keep me occupied. I'd almost cried when I'd found out Netflix was available in this reality. I was in the middle of a Buffy marathon. That's right, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was occupying my time. Fruits Basket would be next and then I'd probably resume School Rumble where I'd left off before I'd ended up in the Hetalia world. Doctor Who had already been given a marathon, mainly just Tennant episodes because he's just that awesome.

I would've been hanging out with people if they hadn't all been busy. Italy claimed to be trying to make the perfect pasta for my birthday party. Why there was even one being thrown for me I didn't know. It had been America's idea, saying that even if I was a nation now I should still celebrate the birth date I'd had as a normal human. He was especially excited to plan it since it was my eighteenth birthday. I'd already talked him out of taking us all clubbing and several nations had to remind him that I wasn't able to be drink yet since he was planning on having the party at his place.

So Italy and Romano were making pasta and America was planning the party. Prussia had gone off with France and Spain, saying they were doing something I couldn't participate it. When I'd asked why I couldn't go they'd said I just couldn't which had frustrated me a good deal. Germany had been recruited by Italy. I couldn't even find Canada. I was terrified to even go near Russia on my own and, besides, all he ever wanted to talk about was if I'd like to become on with him. Britain apparently had a priory scheduled date with Flying Mint Bunny today. Greece was napping with his cats. Japan had been busy giving a China a scolding about trying to build an economy on counterfeiting products and China was busy being scolded.

So basically, I was stuck all by my lonesome. I really didn't mind though. It was sort of nice and peaceful for a change. A nice way to switch things up. And the shows got my mind off the voice and face that was so recognizable but unplaceable for me. Ever since the first time I'd seen the face and heard it's voice I'd been slightly uneasy. I hid it well enough, but I could tell that Prussia, at least, was aware something was bothering me. But he never asked me about it, most likely out of thinking it was just me missing my friends and family.

But it was so much more than that. I'd seen the face and heard the voice three more times since the first time. Each time it had told me how I needed to speed up the process and become stronger. It was like it was checking up on me, trying to get me to accomplish some sort of task. What the task was though, I wasn't sure.

I'd picked up more details of how the person looked with each sighting though. I was now positive it was a male. A male that looked fairly young, in their early thirties at most. He had vibrant blue eyes that somehow struck fear in me as they zoomed by. His hair was short and messy, somewhere between a dark blond or light brown. His facial features were defined, having a bone structure that made his face look slightly oblong and sunken. But from what I could tell, the look was handsome on him. But it was still to blurry for me to be able to recognize him anywhere if I were to see him.

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing me to suddenly snap out of my thoughts and pause Buffy. I got up and walked towards the door, wondering who had decided to pop by for a visit. As far as I'd been told everyone was busy for the day. But when I looked through the peep hole I saw that both the Allies and the Axis Power boys, Canada and Romano included, along with Spain and Prussia were all standing outside. Dear god, this couldn't be good.

I opened the door and was almost trampled. "Hello?" I said, looking at all the men as I was practically pushed into my living room, Canada shutting the door since I couldn't. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this… invasion?"

America grinned and looked at me with an excited expression. "We're here to tell you to get ready for your birthday party!" he said.

I looked at the group with confusion. Get ready? What did America mean by that? I was fully dressed and ready to go into town. Besides, I thought my party was just going to be a get together at my house at this point. And my birthday wasn't even for another week. Why were they so early on this?

Britain decided to be the one to enlighten me on what was going on. He looked at me, a friendly grin on his face. "What America is trying to say is that you need to pack."

"Pack? Why would I need to pack?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"For the party!" Italy said happily.

"Yea, you'll need a couple weeks supply of clothes, but there will be washing machine so maybe only a weeks supply and then you can wash them. A swimming suit, sunscreen, toiletries of course. And anything else you may want to bring along," America said, looking more and more excited with each word.

I looked at the group as if they were all insane. What were they planning? Whatever it was, I wasn't sure I wanted to go along with it so unknowingly at this point. "Where exactly are we all going?" I asked.

Italy and America both opened their mouths to shout out the destination but had their mouths covered, America by Britain and Italy by Germany. "It's supposed to be a surprise, remember?" Japan told them with a stern expression.

I looked at Japan with an exasperated expression. "I need to know the location if I'm to pack accordingly," I argued.

"That's why we're all here," Russia said, his creepy aura appearing. "To help you pack."

I slightly backed away, still not feeling completely safe around the large Russian man that could easily overpower me so I was one with Mother Russia. "O-oh, okay…" I said.

France ran off towards my room, a large suitcase in his hand. Shit, I had to stop him before he tried to find my underwear drawer. I quickly chased after him but was blocked off by Spain. A laugh sounded from my room, notifying me that France had found what he'd been looking for.

"I'm sure that these must c'est bien on you ma chérie~" France said, walking out and holding a pair of panties and a bra.

I blushed and attempted to get around Spain. Prussia was doing nothing to help me, in fact he was standing on the other side of the room trying to not laugh. I sent him a glare as I noticed that he was also looking back and forth from the underwear to me and back again. He quickly looked away, acting as it he hadn't seen anything.

Britain hit the Frenchman upside the head, yelling at him about how he was being inappropriate and perverted wanker. I felt grateful. Despite the fact my people had declared independence from him, he treated me as a protective older brother might a younger sister. It was nice to know someone was looking out for me in that way.

After much more joking around I was packed so we all loaded into two separate vans. I was in van with Prussia, Spain, Italy, Romano, Russia, Japan, and Canada. I was placed between Spain and Romano. It wasn't a great place to be. "Get away from me you taco eating bastard!" Romano yelled as Spain attempted hug him, me being made into a Spain and Romano sandwich.

"Please stop pushing Romano..." I said, becoming annoyed Romano pushing me into Spain.

I was, in a sense, being thrown to the wolves so Romano would be safe. What a birthday. Eventually Canada pulled over to the side of the rode and said that we should switch around the seating a bit. I was grateful for the suggestion and immediately got into another seat as quickly as I possibly could.

The new seat arrangement was Canada driving, Romano in the passengers seat, Italy, Japan, and Spain being in the first row of seats, and me in the back in-between Prussia and Russia. The whole ride I found myself scooting away from Russia and towards Prussia. Prussia didn't complain any about this but Russia just kept scooting closer. I was practically on Prussia's lap by the time we got to the plane that was waiting for us.

I quickly got onto the plane but Russia quickly took a seat next to me, with Italy on my other side. Prussia and America sat across from me. Once the place took off I asked if I could know what our destination was again. America grinned and handed me gift bag. I opened it and saw that there were three dolls in it. A Mickey Mouse doll, a Donald Duck doll, and a Goofy doll. "No way..." I said, looking at them with shock.

"We're going to Disney World!" America yelled happily.

**Lol, skipped through the meeting cause I had no idea how to deal with it :D And now we're into the Disney World trip I was talking about :D Enjoy it cause I had to retype a lot of this cause my computer is being stupid =.=**


	28. Disney

We were driving into the parking lot for the Magic Kingdom and I was having trouble just sitting still. It had been forever since I'd gotten to go to Disney World and I was really excited about it. After we'd parked we all headed to the ferry and then took that to the park. I looked at mooring posts in shock. There was so much change on them. But then my attention turned to the view of the castle in the distance.

I grinned like a mad man as I looked at the far off castle. We soon made it over to the park and I began running around, excited to be able to do everything and anything. Where should I go first? Adventureland? Fantasyland? Tomorrowland? Or maybe one of the other areas. My dilema was quickly answered.

"Hey Marissa! You wanna come ride The Haunted Mansion with me?" America asked excitedly.

I grinned. That was a really fun ride. "Sure!" I said happily as Japan cocked his head curiously.

That's right, America and Japan have different difinitons of scary. What America found terrifying Japan found boring and America had said the monster Japan found terrifying was cute. "The Haunted Mansion?" Japan asked. "What is that? Sounds scary."

"Pfft…" America began laughing hysterically, most likely at the idea of the ride being scary. "Only a baby would find that ride scary!"

"Just come and ride it with us so you can see," I say, smiling.

America then leads us to the line that will take us all to our decided ride. Once we reached the front of the line we were ushered into the seats we would have for the ride. I ended up in a seat that had me placed inbetween America and Japan. The ride was as good as I remembered it being… well it would've been beter if Japan and America hadn't been taking turns being scared by different things.

When we came to the part where a bunch of ghosts are dancing in the ballroom America began crying and screaming about how terrifying the ghosts were. Japan became rather distressed by the crystal ball floating in the air with a face inside of it. By the end of the ride my shirt was dampened with fearfilled tears and both America and Japan were trembling masses.

"Maybe we should try some a bit less… haunted?" I suggest.

America and Japan both nod and we head off and find ourselves in Fantasyland. "Oh. My. God."

I quickly run over to the Peter Pan ride. This was one of the rides I remembered the most from my childhood. Flying over London. I was going to ride this. I turned and saw that the only one looking at the ride with as much as excitement as I was… well the only one looking at the ride, was Britain.

The two of us exchanged a grin, mine a tad bit more akward than his. My country used to be part of his territory. So that could easily give a reason for me to love a ride like this one. But I still felt sense of guilt about my people having taken land from Britain. It wasn't like it was actually my fault. But I still felt bad. Like it all somehow fell on my shoulders to take the blame.

But Britain was being kind towards me and that only added to the guilt I felt. My people had taken territory from him and he was treating me like a younger sister he wanted to protect from the things that could hurt me. Though, there was at least one thing he couldn't protect me from.

That man. I'd managed to not react too much to it but I'd had my own scare on The Haunted Mansion. I was sure I'd seen him. In one of the mirrors. In the line. Just small glimpses of him but I was sure he'd been there. Every so often I was seeing him in the park. And I knew, somwhow, that he was trying to catch me while I was alone. And even if someone wanted to they wouldn't be able to protect me from him forever.

I probably should've told someone about the man and the fear and confusion he was causing me. But everything he kept saying about me needing to hurry up made me feel like I was involved in something I shouldn't have been involved in. Something much larger than myself and incredibly dangerous. If I was and I just didn't remember about it I would still be responsible for it. The idea of somehow having gotten involved in something horribly out of my control was terrifying to me.

But if nobody could protect me from whatever the man had in store for me wasn't it better to just face it head on rather than to continue running from it? Looking for trouble wasn't usually my style but a part of me wanted to finally get past the fear. The other part of me... well it was screaming at me to go to the others for help. To confide in them. Unfortunately, I have had a bad habit of ignoring the voice that tells me to ask for help.

"Would you like to ride this?" Britain asked, motioning towards the ride.

I grinned. One last ride before I went off to face the fear I'd been dealing with. "Yea, I'd love to!" I said.

Britain smiled and the two of us got into line for the ride, the others following us somewhat reluctantly. "This is a kiddy ride," America complained grumpily.

"You don't have to ride if you don't want to," I offered. "I just love this ride from when I was little."

"You've been here before?" Prussia asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled, remembering the times I'd gotten to go to the Disney parks when I was little. "Yep, when I was little I went to both Disney World and Disney Land several times. This was always my favorite ride because of when you fly over London. It was the most magical thing I'd ever seen when I was that age."

Britain smiled, hearing that something that took place in his home brought me such a good memory. "Well, my land does produce some wonderfully magical things!" he said proudly.

I smiled and nodded, listing off a couple other things I really liked from his lands. "Harry Potter and Doctor Who are quite good as well."

Britains' smile widened. "You're a fan of Doctor Who and Harry Potter?" he asked excitedly.

"Of course," I said happily. "They're fantastic!"

The rest of the wait was filled with the same friendly chatter between Britain and I and other countries inserting their opinions every so often. The most entertaining opinion was from France on Harry Potter. He went into a long rant about how he couldn't stand the Harry Potter books. But he also put in that he actually liked Doctor Who a good deal. I'd had a fairly difficult time not giggling at this from the fact of his voice actor being J. Michael Tatum, who has given several rants about not liking Harry Potter but is also a fan of the Doctor Who series. But I'd managed to keep a straight face during the entire rant and nod, saying that he was entirely entitled to his own opinion when he'd finished.

As we got closer to getting onto the ride America complained again and I briefly suggested that he could always ride the It's a Small World ride considering it was right across from this ride. To this he replied with a very loud and frantic, "No! That's alright!"

I had to laugh at that. I couldn't blame him. I'd gotten stuck on the ride before at Disney land for about twenty or so minutes. You don't get the whole song when you're stuck on that ride. You get a little section of it. Twenty minutes of the same little loop over and over again. I despised that ride. No way I'd be riding it ever again.

And we finally reached the front of the line. We get on and the ride takes us through the story of Peter Pan. I relive the magical experience of flying over a darkened London with only the street lights to show anything. But as we reach Neverland my feelings of fear return as I notice that the passenger ahead of us is looking back at us. Nobody else notices of course. Just me. The scariest part is that it's the man again. He looks away before I can get a really good look at him but I know from the expression I saw him wearing that he's waiting for me.

Once we're off of the ride I tell the countries that I'll be right back because I have to go to the restroom and run off towards the nearest one. Once I reach it I notice, with a feeling of unease, that it's empty aside from me. What I was doing was incredibly stupid and dangerous. I was seeking out the cause of the fear and confusion I'd been feeling for the past few months, alone.

But it was already too late to turn back. I suddenly found myself pushed into the largest stall in the bathroom. The sound of the lock clicking appeared and I turned to see a man looking at me with a smirk.

It was the man I'd been seeing hearing. I was sure of it. Despite the dear he'd been causing me and was causing me now I couldn't help but not that he was very handsome. And young. Seeing him clearly now showed that I'd overestimated his age. He didn't look much older than me. He could only be twenty-three at the most, nineteen at the least.

His face was not a clear and crisp image in my hear. Bright blue eyes, bright enough to remind me of Zydrate from Repo! The Genetic Opera. His facial structure was defined and oblong. Slight stubble on his chin that went well with his messy blond hair. He was tall, probably a foot and a half more than me if not a bit more. And he was skinny, really skinny. Like a stick. Yet there was a tad bit of muscle you could see through the sleeves of his T-shirk. Enough to show that he could easily overpower me.

He smirked as I attempted to back away. "Don't be scared," he said, his voice immediately matching the one I'd been hearing. "Don't tell me you don't remember me Marissa."

I looked at him, trying to figure out what he'd meant by that. Obviously I knew him from the 'blackouts'. But he was making it sound as though I'd known him from before I'd shown up. He had seemed eerily familiar from the beginning, I just wasn't sure how.

He stepped forward and cupped my face in his hands. "Maybe this will ring a bell."

He pulled me close, as though he were about to kiss me. My heart sped up as he got closer, my mind going blank as to what I could do to stop him since I was now against one of the walls of the stall. As soon as our lips touched I felt as though there was something I should remember but hadn't been able to since I'd arrived in the Hetalia world.

What the hell was going on? Who was this guy and why did his touch feel so familiar. I'd never had a boyfriend or a kiss before Prussia so this shouldn't have felt so familiar. So... so normal.

The man pulled away and I looked at him with confusion. "Who are you?" I whisper, suddenly feeling very lightheaded.

He smirked and grabbed a hold of me as I began losing my balance. "Name's Trent. You'll remember who I am in due time. For now though, I need to remind you just what you're supposed to be doing. You've been slacking on your part of our little deal, Rissy."

"Deal?" I asked, my eyelids beginning to become very heavy as the fact that he'd called me Rissy registered in my mind.

Nobody ever called me Rissy. And with that I passed out into oblivion.


	29. Trent

The pounding headache was the first thing I was aware of. And then came the warmth of someone holding me. I attempted to open my eyes but found my surroundings to be far too bright for my throbbing head to handle.

I hadn't had such a horrific headache since… I couldn't remember when actually. There really weren't a whole lot of memories registering in my mind to be completely honest. There was something… something important I'd been dealing with for a while now. I was sure of that. But I couldn't recall what it was. Thinking so much wasn't helping the pain in my head much either.

Whoever was holding me was walking at a steady pace as they held me. The bouncing from their walking only served to egg on my headache, not that I really felt in shape to complain about it.

I had to open my eyes and figure out who the mystery person was and where they were taking me. That seemed a rather important thing to accomplish for me.  
>I slowly opened my eyes, wincing from the pain the light was causing me. It was being filtered through a lot of trees but still, it was painful for me. Wait… trees? I managed to keep my eyes open and glance around. I was in a forest. A rather lush and beautiful one. There was so much green to see.<p>

I then saw who was carrying me. It was a man. A really familiar looking man. Who was he though? His name was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't find the correct formations for it to leave my lips. "Oh… you're awake Rissy," he said, a gentle smile on his face.

"Trent…"

The word left my mouth before I could even think to what it might be. Then it clicked. That was his name. I wasn't sure how but his voice seemed to have triggered my ability to say it. Saying his name had also brought some of my memories I'd been digging around for to the surface of my mind.

Trent… he was someone important to me. Someone who'd helped me a lot in my life. He was my best friend. Wait… he more than just a best friend, wasn't he? Somehow my memories didn't seem completely accurate. They didn't even feel like they were really mine to an extent. But they had to be my memories. There was no plausible way for me to have them if they weren't mine.

I looked up at Trent as he stopped and looked down at me. "You had me really worried…" he said quietly.

"What?" I asked, finding the words being spoken on their own. It was though I couldn't control anything besides my thoughts at that point. "Why?"

A slightly pained expression crossed his face. "You don't remember?" he asked.

"Remember what Trent?" I asked, my face contorting in a mixture of confusion and worry.

"The fire…" he said.

"Fire…"

A memory raced to my mind. A burning building with a woman crying out for help inside of it. A man yelling for me to run. A tree that was alight with flames falling in front of me and blocking off the path that could've led me to safety. Smoke... pain from it filling my lungs and stinging my eyes. Coughing, gasping for air. Finally falling to the ground as I searched for a safe rout but was unable to find one. Thoughts that I was about to die racing through my mind. The heat closing in. The darkness suddenly closing in as I caught a glimpse of Trent racing toward me. Everything vanishing from any state of consciousness I may have been in.

My hands raced to my head, me feeling as though everything, even my body, was racing out of my control. What was I seeing? My death? No. Trent saving me. From the same fate as those two people. The woman and man… they were… they were gone. "Mom… dad…" I whispered, tears welling my eyes.

Trent cringed, holding me closer as he sat down and leaned against a tree. "It's going to be okay Rissy…" he whispered as I began crying.

Despite the two people not seeming like my real parents and me not being able to control anything I did I felt an overwhelming amount of sadness. I felt grief and mourning for the people who were apparently my parents.

Nothing was making sense. I wasn't able to remember much else aside from Trent being so important to me, the fire, and that those people were my parents. But none of it really felt to be true to me. It felt almost intrusive for me to be seeing these thing. And something seemed to be missing from the picture the memories were painting for me. Another family member. A sibling perhaps? And pet maybe? Yes! A younger brother and cat. Where were they during all this?

But I couldn't form any words. Nothing… I wasn't able to do anything except cry as Trent tried to calm me. To sooth me as I cried and pondered about what exactly was going on. "It's going to be okay Rissy," he whispered as I found myself beginning to slip away into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>I awoke with a start, my breathing rapid and hitching. I attempted to calm myself down, telling myself that it had all been a dream. The fire, my supposed parents being burned alive in it, having no control over anything. All of it… it had all been a dream. There was no other explanation for it.<p>

I was in the world of Hetalia. That I'd come to accept. But everything I'd just experienced. That had all been a dream. A figment my imagination had come up with as I slept. A movie for me to experience first hand both emotionally and cognitively. Nothing about it had been physical for me aside from the pounding headache.

Pounding headache. In a dream? Wasn't pain supposed to be nonexistent in dreams? Unless I'd felt pain while I was sleep and it had filtered its way into my dream, presenting itself as a horribly painful headache. But if that were the case, then where was it now?

As I attempted to reason with myself I noticed that I was in, what looked like, a hotel room. And it wasn't my hotel room. It didn't even look to be in the same hotel I was staying at. And on the chair across from the bed I was on was Trent.

Oh god. Trent! He was the face and voice from the blackouts I'd been having for the past few weeks. And here he was, staring at me from across the room. A smile on his face as he stood up. "Good to see that you've woken up Rissy," he said, a happy tone to his voice.

I backed away, as far as I could as he walked towards the bed that was pushed into a corner. He quickly had me cornered against the wall as he sat down on the bed. "Wh-who are you?" I whimpered.

"Oh, you know who I am Rissy," Trent replied, a cheerful smile now adorning his features. "You should've gotten at least one memory back by now! So don't act so scared!"

I looked at him, my eyes widening. Had my dream been a memory returning to me in my unconscious state? No. It didn't match up with any of my other memories. It couldn't be a memory if it was so inconsistent with what I knew to be true memories.

Trent must've seen the doubt in my eyes because he quickly placed a gentle hand on one of my shoulders. "You have to believe me Rissy," he said, his expression and tone now deadly serious. "What you saw was a memory. I suppose I should explain why you would think it's not consistent with what you'd remember to be your life."

I lowered my guard slightly at these words. What he'd just said. It mirrored my thoughts almost exactly. Was he reading my mind? No, that didn't seem likely at all. Maybe he actually was telling the truth then. "O-okay…" I said cautiously, still not completely sure if I should trust him or not. "Please explain then."

Trent nodded and sat back, beginning his explanation for. He told me that what I remembered as a life wasn't really real. It was all made up. By the two of us. I'd been made to forget everything from my life through a spell in a book from Britain. And then made to only know the story we'd made up through another spell. And then I'd been sent to the conference room by Trent through another spell. All of this had been done so I wouldn't accidentally blow my cover. So I could appear as innocent as possible. The dream I'd had on the plane, that had been his first interference during the time I'd been spending there. Well, aside from the part with Prussia. That had been my own subconscious's and hormones doing.

The whole point of all of this was so I could become powerful and gain the trust of the nations. And this was so Trent could eventually come in and help me to take them down. To cut them down and leave nothing left of them so we would be in control. Because, he had told me, it was their fault for all the suffering we'd gone through. It was Trent who had planted the seeds that grew into the declaration of independence of my country. Another spell was put on me and it had made me the actual being of the country rather than creating a new person.

But Trent had had to come and take me away from the nations because I, myself, was becoming to close and attached to them, Prussia in particular. I had to be reminded who I was and what I was trying to do. He hadn't thought I'd become so personally invested in friendships and relationships when he'd made me a fan of the show he'd made up for the memories. He wanted to keep me from getting hurt. He talked about how he couldn't allow himself to let me get hurt because of a stupid mistake he'd made when making up a back story for me.

I looked at Trent with confusion. What he was saying sounded absolutely ridiculous. But... at the same time I sort of believed him. The way he was telling me it all so earnestly and keeping direct eye contact with me the whole time. It made his story completely believable no matter how much I didn't want to believe it. "Then tell me... what did you mean about keeping my end of the deal?" I asked, trying to find some flaw in his story, attempting to find some sort of thing to grasp onto.

Trent smiled. "That... you have to remember on your own Rissy," he teased, his smile now resembling the smirk I'd become so used to see him wearing during the 'blackouts'. The smirk that helped to reassure me that maybe he was lying.

**Just gotta say... I'm absolutely addicted to The Hunger Games now :) Saw the movie and am almost halfway through Catching Fire. So good! Also... I'm kinda sad about there only being one more season of Hetalia :( Season 4 is the last... DVD comes out in July I believe. Can't wait to get it and watch it (I dislike watching it on youtube for some reason) but I don't want the anime to end TT~TT Oh wells... hope you enjoyed this chapter! Odd as it was :P**


	30. Rissy

Trent explained that I would slowly regain my memories and forget the made up life from here on out. He quickly assured me that it would be okay, that losing the memories that weren't real was for the best. "But… my family and friends… they're real! They have to be!" I said, the tears in my eyes close to escaping.

Trent sighed unhappily and took my hands into his. "I know Rissy…" he said, trying to keep his tone as even yet understanding as he could, though there was a glint of sadness in his eyes. "I know this has to be difficult to hear but… I'm sorry, they aren't real. They were all just made up to protect you."

Tears began rolling down my face. Treat had to be lying. My life… my friends and family, they couldn't be fake! I couldn't accept such a horrible idea, no matter how convincing he was being with it. If he was lying then he was a damn good actor and I had to keep telling myself that that was the case.

Even if he was telling the truth I didn't want to be any part of it. I didn't want everything I knew to be a lie and to be trying to hurt all of the other nations. All of my friends.

Trent pulled me into his arms, obviously trying to comfort me. He placed a gentle kiss atop of my head while gently stroking my hair. I pushed him away, close to sobbing at this point. "Who are you? What are you to me?" I asked, my voice breaking with almost every word.

Trent looked at me with a saddened smile. "You know who I am Rissy, I know you do. Just think," he said, leaning forward and gently pulling me into a kiss.

I pulled away and looked at him with an upset expression, my eyes beginning to sting from crying so much. "No! I don't know who you are! I don't know anything right now and it's not fair! My whole life is apparently a lie and I can't remember anything from my real life apart from what you've just told me and that my parent were killed in a fire! To completely honest, my life's beginning to seem like a fucking soap opera!" I yelled, my body now wracking as I sobbed.

Trent cringed, but not before he could stop a hint of annoyance and rage from flickering across his face. I had to wonder what it could've meant. But he began speaking before I was able to analyze the lapse in emotions he'd had. "That's what you remembered?" he asked. "I'm so sorry Rissy… I had thought you'd have had a happier memory return to you before that one was dropped on your shoulders."

I sobbed, covering my ears and blocking out Trent. I couldn't take hearing his voice anymore. It had delivered too many confusions and unfair possibilities for me to deal with. "Just stop!" I choked out. "You're lying! All you're doing is spewing lies to me!"

Trent grabbed a hold of my hand and pulled them away from my ears. "Just listen to me Rissy!" he said, his tone becoming pleading and upset. "I'm telling you the truth! I miss how things were! You have no idea how much I wish I could take back the past few months so the never would of happened! But I can't anymore! You're in far too deeply for me to just take you and run while you regain you real memories and forget all of the fake bullshit we came up with! I have to wait now… wait until you're a powerful enough country and everyone trusts you enough! I have to, and have had to, wait around, watching, while you're running around with that prick Prussia…"

I blinked, tears still running down my face. "What do you mean? How things were?" I bit back, my tone sounding a lot harsher than I'd meant it to.

Trent chuckled. "You always were clueless when it came to this kind of stuff, weren't you? Even on that day…"

"That day?" I whispered, another memory suddenly making its way into my mind.

* * *

><p><em>I was sitting in a little field of wild flowers, a slight breeze making it look like an ocean of colors. So many colors to pop out in the swaying green grass. Blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, and white. All of it leading to the amazingly sky and horizon that seemed to go on forever. It was beautiful really. I just couldn't enjoy it. Not when it had such a reminiscent feeling that reminded me so much of them.<em>

_Mom and Dad, they had met there. He'd proposed to her there. They'd brought me here whenever Trent and I wanted to play. Heck… Trent and I had even met there. He'd been seven while I'd been five. He'd saved my doll from a tree some other boys had thrown it into and I'd latched onto him ever since, not that he had complained much. Having dubbed me his new friend had made me feel extremely special._

_That had all been eleven years ago. It seemed so far away. The picnics and barbeques our parents had had with us and each other back then. Once Trent and I had become friends our parents met and hit it off as well. Thus we got to spend a tremendous amount of time together. Neither of us had a complaint about that either, every moment together was fun._

_But then his parents had gone missing. They just up and vanished, as if they'd never existed. Trent had been sixteen, only a few months away from seventeen, at the time and he had had nowhere to go. Well, nowhere but my place. My parents welcomed him in with open arms, saying he could stay as long as it took to find his parents. But then, six months later, to the day even, my parents were burned alive in the fire._

_Five months since they'd died. That's how long it had been. I missed them with all of my heart. Trent had been taking care of me since then. He was almost eighteen now, one more week. And in few months more I'd be sixteen._

_"Hey, I thought I'd find you out here…"_

_I looked and saw that Trent was standing right beside me. He'd become somewhat of an expert at finding whenever I ran off, too upset to even stay around him. It happened fairly often now. Ever since the fire I'd distanced myself from the world, scared that if I let people stay close to me that they'd be consumed by the fire as well._

_I didn't understand how Trent had stayed so strong after his parents had disappeared. He was so close to them and yet he'd stayed smiling ever since. At least around me. Me… I'd crumbled and he'd been picking up the pieces ever since. It was horrible of me to do when he hadn't made me do anything of the sort for him._

_Maybe it was the hope he still had that his parents would come back. I didn't have any of that. I couldn't, it was impossible and useless. I'd already been to their funeral. Trent had even gotten me out of it early when I'd began having a full breakdown, crying and hyperventilating, the works. He'd been trying his hardest to help me get back to normal. Not that it seemed to be doing any good with how unreceptive I was being about it._

_Trent sat down and looked at me as I stayed quiet, slightly burying my face in my arms to try to cut off the chill I was getting from the breeze. He placed his coat on my shoulders, a small smile playing on his lips. "You remember when you climbed that tree to prove to me that you were just as good a climber as me?" he asked with a slight laugh, managing to get a small smile to appear on my face._

_"Yea…" I said quietly. "And you had to climb up and get me down."_

_Trent laughed causing a tiny giggle to escape me. He grinned at me. That had been my first real laugh since the fire. "Yea, you probably should've mentioned your issues with heights when we made the bet."_

_I smiled, somehow feeling slightly cheered up for once. "Minor details, they aren't that important you know," I teased._

_"I'm pretty sure that one would've been nice to bring up Rissy."_

_"No… besides, you got me down safely, didn't you?"_

_Trent nodded thoughtfully. "Yea… I guess I did."_

_We stayed quiet for a while after that, unsure of where to go from there. "Wha-what are you planning to do?" I asked, my stare downcast and avoidant of any possible eye contact that could be made._

_"Huh?" he asked, looking at me with confusion._

_"Your plans… you're turning eighteen in a week. You can't be planning to stay here forever… or continue to take care of me. I mean… I'm a wreck that you probably don't even want to deal with anymore and… well… you have to have your own dreams. Don't you?"_

_Trent let out a long sigh. "Don't tell me you still haven't realized it Rissy…"_

_I looked up at him, my expression only holding confusion. "What? Realized what?"_

_"You really are clueless about this stuff…"_

_"What? What stuff?"_

_Trent looked at me, his expression completely serious. "I don't want to go anywhere… I want to stay with you. Forever. I… I love you."_

_My heart stopped for a moment before resuming it beating at a much faster pace than before. Had I heard him right? Had Trent really just confessed feelings of love for me? I mean, I had always had feelings for him but I'd always thought he saw me as nothing more than a little sister. An annoying little sister who he was having to care for now. The one thing holding him back from spreading his wings and just flying away. But he was saying he wanted to stay… wanted to stay with me._

_And then he leaned in, sending me into my first kiss._

* * *

><p>The memory came to a close and I was left staring at Trent, realization washing over me. "W-we… we're together?" I asked, my voice quiet yet filled with shock.<p>

What would I tell Prussia?


	31. Different

Trent stared at me, his expression earnest as he nodded. I began feeling slightly sick as my world seemed to come crashing down on my shoulders. I technically hadn't been cheating on anyone since I hadn't even known about Trent, but that didn't stop me from feeling terrible about the situation I seemed to have caused. I had always had such little respect for anyone that had cheated on a spouse or partner. Or… at least I thought I had, I wasn't sure what all my real viewpoints were anymore.

"I'm sorry…" I said, still not wanting to believe Trent's story but finding it more and more difficult not to. "I didn't know…"

Trent nodded reassuringly, looking happy at the fact that I seemed to be finally beginning to believe him. "It's fine, I know you didn't Rissy," he said gently, his tone holding a hint of delight.

"But… I don't feel like I can continue a relationship with you seeing as I don't even know you… especially with me already being in another one with someone else…"

As what I'd said sunk in Trent's expression changed dramatically. Now, instead of being happy at me believing him it was crushed, heartbroken by being broken up with. "Wha-what?" he asked, his tone now shocked. "B-but… I was with you first!"

A hint of anger entered his voice as the volume of it rose, his expression also gaining the anger he was now voicing. "But I don't feel like I even know you… and I'm in a relationship with Prussia…" I said, feeling guilt for hurting someone who had apparently done and cared so much for me.

But I really didn't have any feelings for him other than the fear I was slowly getting over and the hurt from all he'd told me. I couldn't be in that type of relationship with someone I felt that way about. It wouldn't be fair to either of us.

And I felt so strongly about Prussia. True, I couldn't bring myself to say the word love about him yet. That word was just to powerful and terrifyingly permanent for me to say about anything other than family and extremely close friends at this point. Besides, Prussia hadn't said it to me yet so it wasn't anything I had to worry about at this point.

"But if it weren't for them we wouldn't have suffered like we have in the first place!" Trent yelled, slightly renewing the fear I felt about him.

"H-how do you figure that?" I asked, unsure to how Trent could have possibly come up with a conclusion like that.

"They're the countries! Whatever happens in their land is their fault or the fault of another country!"

I blinked. So he was just grasping at straws then. Looking for someone to blame, anyone to blame really. He was just trying to cope with the pain and anger life had dished him. I must've been in the same boat before my memories had been tampered with and I'd been sent into the board room. So angry and hurting, desperate to find a reason for what had happened that I blamed some of the most powerful people out there. Because, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility.

But I didn't have the emotional ties anymore. I was as levelheaded as could be about the situation now. Trent didn't have that luxury.

I leaned for ward and placed a hand on Trent's shoulder, trying to calm him down some. But he quickly hit is away and slapped me. "Don't try to act like you fucking understand anymore!" He yelled as I grabbed the cheek he'd hit, tears now sting my eyes again. "Cause you obviously don't!"

I'd just been his by someone who'd been professing to care so deeply for me. Yes, he had every right to be infuriated but that was no excuse. Even when France had hit me it had been much more gentle that what Trent had just done. That didn't make what France had done right, it didn't make it right at all. But it had show a slight bit of control of France's part and he didn't have the type of feeling Trent was proclaiming to have for me.

Trent had hit me hard enough that I could already tell there would be a good deal of bruising. He also broken the skin from what I could tell, slight traces of blood now staining my hand. Honestly, I was completely terrified at this point.

Trent wasn't calming down either. Before I even had a chance to try to get of the bed he took another swing at me, landing a painful hit on my jaw. "St-stop! Please!" I cried, grabbing my jaw as well now.

Trent's face was contorted with rage and hatred as he looked at me. "No! You stop!" he yelled, pushing me into the wall and holding me there. A slight trickle of blood ran down the back of my head from the impact. "Stop being so different! Go back to how you used to be Rissy! You don't even act like the same person!"

Tears ran down my face as I struggled to get away. This felt like a truly life or death situation. I could tell by the amount of anger Trent was emitting that he might very well kill me if I didn't manage to calm him down soon.

"Please calm down Trent," I said, my voice filled with terror and barely above a whisper.

Trent laughed, his laughter sounding uncontrollable as he began getting into my face. He seemed to be having a mental breakdown, snapping from all he'd been dealing with while I'd been with the other countries. "Calm down?" he asked. "You think calming down will help anything!"

What I said next was completely out of instinct. I had no idea that I knew Latin or any type of phrase that could help me. "_Mihi alicubi tutus!_" I cried out, the words leaving my mouth before I could even think about what they might have meant.

The feeling of Trent holding me against a wall disappeared as I felt consciousness leaving. Awareness returned just as suddenly as it left. I was in a bed. The one in the room I'd been assigned to for the Disney trip. That was good at least. But who knew how long I'd been away from the others. They could be looking for me at the park, worried about where I may have disappeared to.

Oh god… the others. The whole reason I'd met them was so I could become close to them and help Trent overthrow them. But I wanted nothing to do with it. Maybe if I just kept my distance or, better yet, got out of the place we were staying… ran away so they could never find me. But I was a country so it wasn't like I could really stay hidden for too long. My people would need me eventually. And if I showed up for my people then Trent would easily be able to find me. He'd been the reason they declared independence.

I wasn't ever going to be safe again… that was something I had to face. And the countries would find out eventually. I didn't want to tell them but I also didn't want to lose their trust by Trent spouting some bullshit about me never having meant my friendship for them or any feelings for Prussia. I cared dearly for all of them. If they had to find out from anyone then it would have to be me.

I didn't even remember most of my real life. What I remembered is being a fan of an anime about personified nations. Not hating all the nations. They couldn't really be angry with me if I wasn't really even the same person anymore… could they? This sucked.

First thing was first. I stood up from my bed and walked to the bathroom, my face throbbing. When I got in and turned on the lights I winced from the sight in the mirror. I was bruised badly and I needed medical attention for where the back of my head was bleeding. Possibly a couple of stitches. Fun.

I took a washrag from the side of the bathtub and got it wet. I needed to clean up my face. This would have to do. A tied towel around my head to try to slow the bleeding. A moist washrag to wipe away the blood. A few band-aids for my face. I was no Clara Barton, but I done I done a well enough job that it would do well enough until I could get to the hospital.

Getting to the hospital. How was I supposed to do that? Calling an ambulance seemed a bit excessive to me at this point. My head was bleeding a good deal but it was also a head wound. Head wounds bled a lot in general so unless it started gushing rather than the trickle it was at now I didn't want to take an ambulance that could be used for something more serious.

I knew Prussia's number by heart so I could call him and get the others to come back to the house they'd rented. They weren't actually that far, a twenty minute drive at most. Then I could be driven to the hospital. I'd also probably have to explain what had happened in the car. And I wasn't ready to do that yet. I was scared that they would be angry with me… that I'd lose all their trust. I couldn't deal with that. Not after having found out what I'd found out.

I was so greedy to make a decision like that. A horrible friend really. Tears trickled down my face, I didn't want to lose my friends but I couldn't leave them in the dark. What was I supposed to do?

"I hate this…" I murmured, sitting down against the bathtub as I grabbed my head.

I was having trouble standing now. Maybe an ambulance would've be a good idea after all. If only I could've thought straight enough to figure out where a phone might've been. And the ability to stand up would've be nice too. And the lights staying on would've be great. Clear vision too. Yea… all of that sounded great.

Though Canada running was good too. "Hi Canada…" I murmured with a weak smile, my eyes feeling heavy. "How're you?"

**The Latin phrase basically means "I have somewhere safe" but I meant it to mean "Take me somewhere safe." So yea. I honestly have to say, I was not expecting everyone to hate Trent so much xD Gave him a scene that makes him actually hateable in my mind now. He be a beater and that's not okay :/ But... to those who've asked or said they're going to... you cannot kill Trent. That would make the ideas I have for later in the story impossible :/ I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is :( If you want, I will give you all the opportunity to give him a good beat down though 8D *Pushes Trent out into the line of vision of angry Prussia fans***

**Trent: O.O ...Shit *Tries to run but is fenced in* You're a horrible creator...**

***Shrugs* You're a horrible person according to them ^.^**

**Trent: :I I just want my childhood love back.**

**So you beat her?**

**Prussia: *Cracks knuckles* You're going down...**

**^.^ Yay for Prussia kickass mode :3 (Thanks to Quiet Harmony-chan for that review, made me laugh and think maybe there's a remote to switch Prussia's modes xD) Also, thanks so much to everyone who's been adding and reviewing this story ^.^ Honestly didn't expect any of the attention it's gotten :) Super appreciative and happy that people seem to be liking it so far :) This story is probably the most fun I've ever had writing (and I've had a ton of fun with other stories :D) It's also the longest one I've ever written so far so I'm super happy about that, makes me feel like I can stay on task for once xP Last order of thanks goes to xXRedPokerGirlxX for being my 100th reviewer :)**


	32. Thomas

Canada began freaking out, running around and shouting. Whatever he was shouting seemed to be very important. Maybe I should've been listening and attempting to comprehend the words that were flying out of his mouth more than I was. But they were all melding together, sounding mushy, gargled, and unintelligible. They must not have been too important if I was having such a difficult time understand him. At least that what my head was telling me.

Canada suddenly knelt down and got into my face, his expression only holding panic and fear. "What wrong Canada?" I slurred, gently touching his face in an attempt to calm him down.

More yelling I couldn't understand erupted from Canada. Even more as America, Britain, and Prussia raced into the bathroom, the other nations following behind them. I felt a pitifully weak smile grace my lips. "Hi... what's up?" I asked, waving as best I could.

Prussia quickly got in front of me, Canada moving so he wouldn't be pushed out of the way. Prussia grabbed my shoulders and began shouting, looking the most frantic I'd ever seen him. I looked at him, frowning from my inability to understand him along with how fast he seemed to be fading from my vision. "Marissa!"

Britain and America's voices finally managed to break through as I blacked out. Surely they could've waited for a response though, right? I just needed a nap, then I'd be able to think straight. Yes, I'd talk to them after a nice long and restful nap.

* * *

><p><em>Beep. Beep. Beep.<em>

My eyes felt heavy. Well to be perfectly honest, my entire body felt like it was made out of led and an elephant that was holding a bag of bricks was sitting on my led based body. Weird. And that constant beeping, it was pretty annoying. Probably an alarm clock. One for school no doubt. It would've been set by my mom for sure.

Wait… school? Mom setting up an alarm clock? Something didn't sound right there. But what? I couldn't put my finger on it but I had a definite feeling that that wasn't the case. Something about it… it didn't seem possible for some reason. But why?

The sound of a door opening managed to make its way into my consciousness over the obnoxiously loud and annoying beeping. "She still hasn't woken up…" someone beside me said.

The voice sounded familiar. It was male and very tired sounding. Prussia? Yes, that exactly who it was. Why did he sound so upset and exhausted though? Hadn't he been getting sleep? His tone was making it seem unlikely. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon…"

Germany… he must've been the one to have opened the door. But who were they talking about? Me maybe? They were making it sound like I'd been asleep for ages though. That couldn't be the case though. With how un-rested and miserable I felt it was as though I hadn't gotten any real sleep for a couple weeks.

But the two brothers sounded so worried and upset. I couldn't bare to hear them this way. A huge amount of willpower helped me to open my eyes and glance around. I was in, what looked like, a hospital room. That must've been why I'd been hearing beeping. And IV of some sort was in here.

There wasn't enough energy inside of me to get an actual sentence to form but I managed to murmur quietly. The sound of a chair tipping over caused me to slightly wince. Prussia immediately came into my view. "Mien Gott…**(1)** you're awake!"

Prussia looked to be using all of his willpower to not pull me into a big hug. Germany seemed to be calling for a nurse. All I could do was mumble some more. But it seemed to be enough because it made a huge smile appear on Prussia's face. I managed to move my arm and reach towards Prussia's side, trying to grab at his hand. He quickly complied and a nurse came into view. "Ah!" she said, her voice unnaturally perky. "You're awake! That's wonderful! I'll go and get Dr. Thomas!"

Doctor Thomas? It sounded like a name one might here in a TV show and a soap opera at that. If I'd had the energy I might have laughed. When the doctor arrived I noticed that he looked young, extremely young. He couldn't have been older than seventeen. That wasn't the only odd thing about him. His hair… it was a shade of bright blue, almost turquoise, that contrasted rather nicely with his vibrant green eyes. And he had the physique of a pole. Really, he was one of those guys that had a ton of a height but was stick thin. I'd definitely never seen a doctor like him before.

Doctor Thomas wore a friendly smile as he looked down at a clipboard he was holding, the one that most likely held the papers with my information. "It's good to see that you've finally woken up!" he said, his voice sounding much too deep to come out of someone as small as he was. "You've given quite a few people a good scare."

I managed to form a sentence that seemed to be somewhat understandable to the doctor, Prussia, and Germany. "What happened?"

Truth be told I couldn't remember much of anything from arriving at the Magic Kingdom park and after. I knew something big had happened. That was obvious from how worried everyone was seeming to be along with the fact that I was in a hospital. And then the was just a gut feeling I had. I had this absolute certainty inside of me that something had happened. But the memories to what the feeling was referring to weren't coming to me.

Doctor Thomas's smile never faltered, though he did go from just looking friendly to looking friendly with a hint of concern. "We were hoping you would know what had caused you such extenuating injuries, but memory loss is to be expected with how hard of a hit your head took," he explained, scribbling something down on the papers attached to his clipboard.

"Extenuating injuries?" I asked, finding my voice becoming slightly more and more willing to cooperate with me with each word. "Are they really that bad?"

Doctor Thomas nodded, his expression taking a more serious turn. "Extenuating enough to keep you unconscious for a good week."

A week? I'd been out of it for that long? Dear god, it must've been something really bad to have done that. It was scary to know something so tremendously powerful had happened to me but not be able to remember it.

Someone suddenly burst into the room. "You're awake!"

I winced from how loud the familiar voice was being. It was the first time I noticed how much pain my head was in. I rose my hand and touched the area all of the pain was radiating from and felt that bandages were wrapped all around my head. "Ah yes… you'd probably like to know about that," Doctor Thomas said, his youth and inexperience with this type of thing showing through the slight unsure tone his voice had taken on. "In order to get to your wound we had to cut off some of your hair."

The words took a few seconds to register but when I did I had to quickly calm myself before I freaked out. I wasn't one to care about girly things like doing my hair but I really liked my hair. It was really soft. And being really soft made it enjoyable to stroke. It was stupid, I know, but it was just one of those little weird things about me. "How much is some?" I asked carefully.

"Just a small patch, it was really nothing. The bald spot is hardly noticeable…" Doctor Thomas said, suddenly catching his mistake in wording.

A worried expression crossed his face as my eyes widened. Bald spot? Patch? What was I supposed to do about that? There's no way it could be as unnoticeable as he was describing with how uneasy he seemed to be about my reaction. It was an incredibly stupid thing to be concerned over but I couldn't help it. My hair was one of the few things I actually had some sort of fondness for when it came down to my appearance.

Before I could push the subject further the person that had burst into the room ran into my line of vision. It was Italy, the one person, aside from America of course, that could get to the decibel his introduction had been. "It's so good to see that you're awake!" he said, his voice just as loud as before.

I winced but gave Italy a light smile, trying to get past the unbearable pain. As if on cue, doctor Thomas put a new attachment on the IV I was hooked up to. Almost immediately after the foreign liquid entered my system I felt an immense amount of relief. I sighed slightly and thanked him. He smiled a nodded, saying he'd be back later.

"Hello Italy," I said, my eyes beginning to droop slightly.

I was becoming unbearably tired. But I'd just woken up after a week of sleep, I couldn't fall asleep now. "Don't fight the medication," Germany advised. "The doctor informed me that it was a relaxant and that you do need sleep. You're still recovering, over-extenuating yourself is the last thing you'll want to do."

But I'd just woken up. How could that be over-extenuating myself in any way? Though… sleep was calling to me and the thought of just complying sounded heavenly. "Mkay…" I said sleepily, my words probably coming out much more slurred than I meant them to from the way Prussia was slightly chuckling. "Wake me up in a little… kay?"

All three of the men laughed slightly and each nodded reassuringly. I felt my grip on Prussia's hand beginning to loosen but he didn't let it slip away. It was a feeling of safety that made me undeniably happy, even through the exhaustion I could fully comprehend that. Now if only I could've remembered what had happened… what I'd found out. It all seemed like it was important for me to know. But I couldn't worry about it now, now was the time for a nice, restful nap.

**1: My god...  
>Wow... I finally got this done xD It's been crazy lately xP Got an AP test done, taking EOCE for Geometry. Promotion from eighth grade for my brother next week along with graduation for 3 of my senior friends two days later (2 graduation parties within those three days) and then another graduation and ACTs the next week! Then... I'm on summer break! There's also the finals... crazyness! Oh well... the summer is near! Last couple of months till I turn 18 and become a senior in high school. Life's speeding by! But anyways... enough about the hecticness that is my life xD<strong>

**Hope this chapter was enjoyable :D Peace out!**

**Doctor Thomas: Just a second now... I just need to say something :/**

**Oh gosh...**

**Doctor Thomas: Little bit of advice is all.**

**Okay then...**

**Doctor Thomas: An apple a day keeps the doctor away ;)**

**So you're antisocial then?**

**Doctor Thomas: What? No. Just a health freak is all ^.^ **


	33. Memories

"Yes, she seems to doing quite well. Ever since she woke up her condition has been improving at an unusually fast rate. It's quite amazing really. I've never seen anyone heal so quickly. And her hair is practically grown back already."

A voice was penetrating its way into my consciousness. I attempted to tune it out, too exhausted to comprehend or even want to comprehend what it was saying. I just wanted to continue sleeping. But the voice seemed intent on waking me up.

I opened my eyes and saw Doctor Thomas talking to a nurse with a cheerful smile on his face. His hair had faded slightly. That was too be expected though, I'd been in the hospital for a good three weeks since I'd woken up.

Doctor Thomas, who'd I'd become well enough acquainted with to find out that his first name was actually Thomas as well (honestly, his parents had named him Thomas Thomas… I know, very original of them), had been visiting with me during his lunch breaks when I didn't have any visitors. He claimed to not like to see me lonely, but I felt like it might have been him who was actually lonely. He and I were practically the same age. He was only a month or so older than me and it seemed like a lot of the other doctors resented him for being so young. The nurses, including the one who he was talking to with such a sense of excitement, just seemed to smile and put up with him.

He seemed to be truly fascinated with me and my medical issues at the moment. I had to wonder what it was like to be so knowledgeable and successful at such a young age. He never seemed to be prideful about it, just interested in anything and everything in the medical field. He reminded me a lot of a little kid, one who liked to figure out how things worked, in a toy store. All the things to be found out in his position were like toys that he couldn't wait to roll the mechanical toys over and over in his hands.

As he elaborated to the nurse his overly large glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose. They were right outside the door to my room and the nurse looked to be growing tired of humoring him. He was a really nice guy who was just overly enthusiastic about his practice. The people who worked with him took it inexperience which caused them to have a lack of respect for him. It made me sad for him.

The nurse's pager went off and I caught her flashing a relived smile, though she quickly covered it with a polite nod as she began explaining that she had to go and take care of whatever she was being paged about. Thomas nodded understandingly and let her go on her way. He walked in and smiled as he noticed that I'd woken up. "Ah, how are you feeling today?" he asked.

I smiled, genuinely happy to not be alone. Thomas may have been nothing more than a doctor to me at the moment but I would probably be pretty good friends with him out in the real world. We had common interests, such as an oddly obsessive love for anime and manga. He liked some of the same video games and he was just as into music as I was (he claimed to be a horrible singer but didn't hold back when talking about how much he loved the guitar and piano).

"I'm feeling pretty good," I answered, sitting up.

Thomas nodded, him smile growing slightly. "That's fantastic!" he said, checking my IV and scribbling a bit down on the clipboard he always had with him. "With how quickly you're progressing, I really wouldn't be surprised if I can okay you within another week if not less."

I felt my already high spirits rising. The idea of getting out of the hospital sounded fantastic. Prussia had already said that once I got out he was going to take me on a fun get out, only to be told that I'd have to wait another week or two once I got out to do anything that would take a lot of energy.

Doctor Thomas nodded. "It's amazing…" he said, his voice distant, as though he were talking to himself. "I've never seen or heard of anyone healing this quickly. When you came in you were on the brink of death… and it hasn't been a month left and you're well on your way to being able to run a marathon…"

I felt as if I would sweat drop. I hadn't been able to run a marathon before whatever had happened had happened. I still couldn't remember what had happened after getting on the Peter Pan ride. Aside from that I couldn't shake the feeling that there were other parts of my memory that were missing. Small gaps. And then there was my past from before I ended up in the Hetalia world. It was becoming more and more foggy as each day passed. Not that I had informed Doctor Thomas. Or anyone else for that matter.

I didn't want to worry anyone. It was probably a stupid decision to not tell my doctor. I had a feeling that Prussia and several other nations who I'd become particularly close to wouldn't be to pleased with me either if they found out that I hadn't told anyone about my memory loss growing worse and worse.

"Hey, you alright?"

I blinked and looked at Thomas. "Oh… um, yea!" I said with an overly large smile, trying to hide the feeling of nervousness I thought I must've been displaying so obviously. "I'm just fine! Peachy even!"

Thomas rose an eyebrow and looked at me with a disbelieving expression. "Peachy?" he asked, having talked to me enough to know that I didn't say peachy.

"Yea, peachy… you know, like… peachy-keen?" I said, attempting to cover but horribly failing.

"Peachy-keen huh?" Thomas asked, giving me a deadly serious stare down. "If something's wrong, you need to tell me. I can't do my job if you're not letting me know."

I looked away nervously, I'd been trying so hard to keep this a secret. But I was so horrible with secrets. It wasn't a surprise I'd be found out eventually but I really didn't want to tell him or anyone. I didn't think there was much, if anything, he could do for memory loss. Why give him or the countries more to worry about when they couldn't help. "There's nothing wrong though…" I said, doing horribly at convincing anyone.

"Honestly Marissa," Thomas said with a stern tone to go with his deadly serious look. It was odd to see him that way. I'd grown used to seeing the blue haired boy with a constant smile on his face, not a stare that would give a parent, of a child who's done something wrong but won't fess up, a run for their money. "What's wrong. I want nothing more than to make sure you leave here in as close to as perfect health as you can. That isn't possible if you're hiding things from me."

I frowned and avoided eye contact, only deepening lack of trust in what I was saying. "I already told you… there's nothing wrong."

Thomas sighed an aggravated sigh and shook his head, showing disappointment in me. "Fine," he said. "If you don't want to be honest with me then I'll just leave it up to your friends to try to get whatever is wrong out of you."

He wasn't going to tell the nations about his suspicions was he? I didn't need them pushing me to spill the beans as well, not being honest with Thomas (whom was nothing more than a doctor and lunch time friend to me) was difficult enough. There was no way I could continually lie to the nations. Maybe just coming clean now was the best thing to do. But to do that I'd have to admit to have been keeping it a secret for good two or so weeks. I didn't want to deal with that. But I also really didn't want to deal with a bunch of nations pestering me.

I sighed. "Wait…" I said quietly, beginning to feel upset with myself for getting myself into the predicament I was facing. "I… uh… maybe there is a little thing I should tell you…"

Thomas turned around and looked at me, his expression slightly softer from the tone in my voice that was probably conveying so much reluctance. "Why don't you want to tell me if something's not healing the way it should? I'm you're doctor. My job is to help you heal."

I glanced away, not wanting to hold eye contact with him as I told him what was happening. What was causing me so much frustration and fear. What if I were to forget everything and not be able to ever remember it again. What if I lost all the memories of my life before being a country. It would be as if it had never happened for me.

All my family and friends… they wouldn't even be memories for me anymore. It was my responsibility to remember them and I couldn't even manage that! It made me feel like a horrible person… a horrible friend and family member. A tear trickled down my face. "Because…" I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "I'm supposed to be able to take care of this myself… but I can't seem to and that isn't fair!"

Thomas winced as he looked at me, his expression becoming confused than anything else. "What are you supposed to be able to take care of yourself?" he asked, his voice becoming more gentle and less prodding.

"M-my… my memories… I can barely remember anything. So many memories just keep slipping away with each new day! At this rate, pretty soon everything is going to be gone… I won't know who anyone is… I probably won't even remember who I am. I can even recall my brother's name… my best friends… I can't remember what they look like. I could pass my parents on the street and not even realize it's them!"

Tears were streaming down my face as I noticed a few people standing at the door. Prussia, Britain, Italy, America, and Germany. All four of them were standing at the door and they had heard everything I'd just said. They knew now… knew about how I was forgetting. How I may not even know who they were in a while.

I brought my knees up into a fetal position, wrapped my arms around them, and his my tear stained face as the countries all began stepping towards me. I wanted to wake up. Wake up from the crappy dream… no nightmare, I had to be in. I wanted to find out I'd either dreamed up the whole experience in the Hetalia reality or had dreamed up all the memories I was still managing to cling to of my life before showing up. Either way… I'd be happier with that than having to deal with this.

**Doctor Thomas: Marissa is sick today :I She hasn't been following my instructions on good health! As punishment she isn't allowed to be in the author's note this chapter.**

**. Shuddup. It's just really bad allergies from all the pollen in the air. And you can't keep me from being in the author's note! I'm the author!**

**Doctor Thomas: :/ To bed with you, shoo now!**

**:/ No.**

**Doctor Thomas: =.= If you don't cooperate I'll have to use force.**

**Ha! I'd like to see that!**

**Doctor Thomas: You asked for it then... nurse! The patient isn't complying with her medical orders.**

**Nurse? You think some nurse is going to make me listen!**

**Prussia, Spain, France: *walk in in nurse outfits***

**O.O What. The. Hell?**

**France: Ah~ You know you like it ;)**

**Actually... no, no I do not.**

**Prussia: Come on, you think it looks awesome on me, don't you? ;)**

**I-I... I think I'm scarred for like actually.**

**Spain: Oh well~ All the more reason to get you back into bed senorita!**

**Prussia, Spain, France: *Try to trap me***

**Ahg! *runs away and hides under covers***

**Doctor Thomas: ^.^ And that's why you should always listen to your doctor! *Thumbs up* Oh! And before anyone asks... yes... my name really is Thomas Thomas =.= My parents are horribly unoriginal with names... they named my younger brother Tommy (he claims if he were in the mafia his name would be Tommygun Thomas =.=).**


	34. Spain

Depression and hopelessness. That's all that had been consuming me as of late. Nothing anybody did seemed to be helping either. My memories were continuing to fade and I was to the point where I couldn't even seem to remember which nation was which until they spoke most of the time.

Accents. Those were still sticking in my mind. Each one was different and held a name to it. The only people who didn't need an accent for me to remember who they were were Prussia, Thomas, Britain, and Spain.

Prussia, he was who I was trying the hardest to not forget. I'd already lost all the memories of my life before. I knew I'd had one but I couldn't seem to recall any of it, not even the people in it. I wasn't willing to let the memories of him go without a fight. He was now the closest person to me and I wouldn't allow myself to lose those memories.

Thomas was with me every day. He was still coming in during lunch to talk with me, but now it was less socializing and more trying to jog my memory. When he wasn't doing this he was doing his job or, from what I'd overheard a nurse saying, studying old cases that had to do with memory loss.

Britain seemed like a steadfast anchor in my mind. He didn't seem to be going anywhere. It was almost as if he were a part of me. Maybe deriving from his territory was what was causing him to be so easily remembered by me. Whatever it was, I wouldn't complain. It was good to have something I didn't to work at to remember.

And Spain… he had been visiting quite a bit lately. He was usually so contagiously happy to be around. He was trying his best to cheer me up. To be a friend for me. To help his friend Prussia.

Spain and I had become fairly good friends during my time in captivity. Our friendship had grown still once I was free to do as I wished. He was a fun guy to be around with how happy and go-lucky he acted. But his efforts were for naught. None of them seemed to be working.

I laid in my bed, covers completely covering me as I tried to remember anything from when I was little. Nothing was coming to me though. None of my hidden memories seemed to be willing to cooperate with me and come back into the light for me to see.

Tears trickled down my face as I buried it in my pillow. It was frustrating and upsetting to see how hard everyone was trying to help me when I wasn't getting any results from it. It made me feel like they were wasting their time and just move on from me. As if it were better if I had been dead so they could move on with their lives and not waste them on a hopeless case like me.

Self-wallowing wasn't what I wanted to be doing. I knew that, so why was I indulging in the activity I always had thought so pathetic? Why? Because I felt like I had the right to at this point. Well that and it seemed all the more easier to do when you were stuck in a hospital room.

"Hola senorita."**(1)**

Spain was here again. He'd said he'd be back soon but he'd only left a few hours ago. I hadn't expected him to show up quite so quickly. I left my face buried in my pillow as I mumbled. Spain sat down beside my bed and began talking, sounding as cheerful as ever. "Senor**(2)** Prussia asked me to come spend the night here with you," he explained, talking about how Prussia wouldn't be able to come over for the night like he usually did because of his having to fly to Germany to check on his people, what with him being a micro-nation now. Truth be told I hadn't known about it until he'd brought it up.

Spain tried to coax me out from my position of practically hiding my whole self. I only gripped the blankets tighter though when he tried to gently pull them away from me how overheated the nurse who had recently taken my temperature had told him I was. I curled up into a small ball as he stood up and sat on the end of my bed, talking about how he was hoping to get the two Italian brothers, France, Prussia, himself, and I all together for a fun day once I was out and about again.

When I refused to respond he sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go get something from the vending machine down the hall, would you like me to grab you anything senorita?"**(3)**

I looked at him, my eyes slightly glazed over. "Please don't leave Spain…" I said pitifully, causing him to look at me and blink with a surprised expression.

It was the most I'd said in the past three weeks to anyone aside from Thomas and Prussia. And the fact that I'd reached out and grabbed his sleeve like a child, my eyes teary and my expression scared and upset, probably only added to the shock factor. But I'd reached my complete and utter breaking point. I needed someone to be with me right now or… or I didn't know what would happen.

"Senorita…" Spain said quietly, taking my shaking hand into his own and sitting back down as tears began running down my face again. "It's okay, it's all going to be okay."

I looked at him, my expression holding nothing more than the hurt and fear I having such a difficult time dealing with. "How do you know?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "I can't even remember my family anymore… I think I had siblings but I'm not sure anymore… a pet is the one thing I'm positive I had. But I can't remember what kind of pet it was or what it's name was… how can you be sure when I'm that far gone?"

Spain looked at me with a hit of sympathy in his eyes. "You had a hermano,**(4)** senorita. You've told me about him before. He's fifteen right now, you two argue a lot but you love each other still. And the pet you're trying to remember… it's a gato,**(5)** her name is Meow. You love and miss her a lot."

I looked at Spain, my expression more pained than ever. He was able to tell me about the lost memories I'd talked to him about but I couldn't even remember what the topics of them looked like. My body began trembling slightly as I felt my control slipping even more.

I was close to sobbing and, by the looks of it, Spain had no trouble whatsoever figuring this out. He quickly pulled me into his arms, giving me something new to bury my face in. All control was lost as my body began wracking and I sobbed, the sound muffled by Spain's shirt. He gently rubbed my back as he shushed me, telling that it was okay.

Even with the safety Spain's arms seemed to provide me I couldn't deny, I felt so alone. More alone then I'd ever felt before. I knew he was right in that I missed the cat he'd told me about, along with my parents, brother, and friend. But to miss them when I couldn't even remember what they looked like or who they were? It made me feel empty and alone. Like the people I was missing were all fictional. What would the point of that be?

Eventually I calmed down enough to where I was able to lie down and not have tears running down my face. Spain looked at his shirt and saw that now drenched shoulder of it. "Hmmm… maybe I should've brought an extra shirt…" he said quietly, before pulling out his phone. He pushed some buttons and waited until the recipient picked up. "Ah, Romano~ Would you mind coming to the hospital and bringing me a new shirt?"

Spain winced as the muffled sound of Romano yelling came through the phone. "Ah… you see…" Spain started before wincing and being cut off again. "N-no! Nothing like that! What do you take me fore!" A blush was creeping across Spain's face. "W-would you just come by and bring me a new shirt porfavor?**(6)** I'm sure Marissa would enjoy your company as well… Italy wants to come as well? I don't see why he can't. The more the merrier, si?**(7)** …Okay, hasta pronto."**(8)**

I looked at Spain as he stood up and stretched, a light smile on his face as he looked back at me. "More company is coming senorita," he said happily. "So see, there's no need to feel sad! You have lots of friends who want to see you happy again~"

A small whimper left me as I gripped my blanket, going back into the state where I didn't break down sobbing in front of my friends. The state where I hardly talked. It felt like the only way to keep some control at this point.

Spain sighed disappointedly as I pulled my blankets over my head. Maybe I was being unreasonably depressed about what I was going through, that was completely possible. But I couldn't help it anymore. Sadness over what felt almost like the deaths of all the people I was forgetting was filling me more and more with each passing day. I didn't have any clue how I could stop that.

I felt my eyes begin to droop, exhausting filling me from all the crying. I shut them and felt my senses dulling. I drifted off into sleep just after hearing a bubbly Italian voice enter the room along with a more grouchy Italian voice trailing behind.

Romano and Italy had arrived… I'd do my best to get out of the state I was in and talk to them and Spain when I woke up. They were my friends… they deserved that much with all the time they'd been giving me lately. I needed to try harder for them… no matter how much lack of motivation for it I had.

**1: Hello miss  
><strong>**2: Mister  
>3: Miss<br>4: Brother  
>5: Cat<br>6: Please  
>7: Yes<br>8: See you soon  
>Ze memories! Why must the lack of them bring me such pain TT~TT<strong>

**Canary: Psh, long as you remember me you're life is all good!**

**Mayotte: And me, don't forget me or your life will surely suck!**

**...Who're you two?**

**Mayotte: ...D**

**Canary: ...D I know we haven't been in the story recently but really! Forgetting us!**

**Mayotte: What an atrocity!**

**Doctor Thomas: ...Go away =.= She doesn't need to remember you two.**

**Trent: What about me ;)**

**Doctor Thomas: CERTAINLY NOT YOU!**

**Trent: And why not :/ I'm important to the plot!**

**Doctor Thomas: Go away, nobody likes you.**

**Trent: M-my mom does!**

**...I thought your mom disappeared.**

**Trent: Sh-shuddup! *storms away***

**Prussia: That's right! You better run from my awesomeness! My micro-nation awesomeness! **(It's true! Prussia became a micro-nation back in 2011! Just found out!)


	35. Names

A light and carefree dream. It was the first one I'd had in a long time. Lately my dreams had been filled with faces that I couldn't quite remember telling me how horrible I was forgetting them. How poor a friend I was and how unimportant to me they must be if I could so easily forget them. I often woke up from them in tears, sometimes screaming loud enough that Prussia had woken up or a nurse had come running in.

This one was just me gliding through the sky. A beautiful blue ocean beneath me and my fear of heights non-existent. White puffy clouds spread out for me to rest at if I ever got tired. A sweet yet salty smell entering my nose. It was amazing.

A mass of land began to show up in the far off distance. So much vegetation… so much green with bright flowers scattered about it. Closer and closer it became. I was so close that I could hear a light breeze rustling through the trees. I found my distance from the ground decreasing as I became closer to the land.

A gentle thud as I reached the ground. I stepped forward, my feet now bare to go along with the sun dress that had suddenly appeared on me. This place looked oddly familiar. It was an island, I knew that. But what island was it?

A bon fire loomed in the distance as the sun began to set. I found myself drawn towards the warm looking nature of it as a slight breeze cause a shiver to run throughout my body. Step by step I found any lingering worries I had beginning to melt away. Three people around the fire became visible, all of them appearing to be male. "He-hello?" I yelled, waving at them.

One of them, a man with short black hair, looked over his shoulder and at me. A smile graced his lips as he waved me over, none of them bothering to speak. As I got closer they began to look more and more familiar. There was blond one who looked stern. A brunette who appeared to be bubbly. And the one with black hair, who seemed like he would be quiet yet exceedingly kind. "M-may I join you three?"

The blond looked up and gave a curt nod, though the tiny smile that playing on his lips was open and warm towards me. As if he knew and cared for me more deeply than one might expect him to. Still no words from any of them. "So… u-um… I'm Marissa. Who're all of you?"

The brunette opened his mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by a gargled and incomprehensible sound. A man with dark hair tied into a long pony tail jumped out of nowhere. He was holding a large bowl and began taking out the three men with said bowl. Soon, four more men jumped onto the beach. The blond and black haired men had been knocked to the ground while the brunette was seemingly crying and spewing out words that I couldn't seem to understand.

One of the men that had come out of, seemingly, nowhere, walked towards me. He had blond hair and a slight bit of scruff. Something about him caused me to feel a pang of nausea and fear. I backed away as he got down to my eyes level and put a hand under my chin. Another one of the men, this one with shaggy blond hair and green eyes walked over and smacked the creepy one upside the head. Everything that they and the other men said weren't words I could understand.

Something suddenly clicked in my mind though as the two blonds began going at it with each other. I pointed at the one with green eyes and let the word leave my mouth before I could even think about it or what it meant. "Britain."

The green eyed man grinned and nodded as more words began entering my mind. One by one I pointed at the different men and named them off. France. China. Japan. Italy. Germany. America. Russia. They were the nations I'd come to know. This island, it was from the anime! The anime I watched all the time back home!

Home… home was where? That I couldn't remember but I would take what I'd been given. I'd managed to remember who people were without hearing their voices and I'd recalled a place I'd long since forgotten. It was the most progress I'd made so far and I was happy with it. "Thank you… thank you all so much!"

Tears were entering my eyes as I ran up and hugged each one of them. Even if this was just a dream, the most lucid dream I'd ever had mind you, I couldn't have been more grateful towards my friends. They'd done so much to help me try to remember and it was finally helping. Their hard work was paying off.

They all smiled, looking genuinely happy as I finished my last hug. I then noticed that everything around me was starting to darken. Well, not so much darken as fade away into darkness. Was I waking up? Probably. A sudden wave of panic rushed over me as I found their names slipping from the grasp my mind had on them. "N-no! Come back!"

I grabbed my head, tears streaming down my face as the faces from all my other dreams began appearing. They encircled me, trapping me in the hurt and terror they so easily instilled within me. They began all spinning around me, turning into a blur. "You forgot me! Some friend!" one of them shouted.

"I-I'm sorry! I keep telling you I'm sorry!"

"I thought you said we were best friends!" another spat at me. "Do best friends forget who each other are?"

"Wow… I must be so important to you if you can't even remember me."

"P-please! I'm sorry! I'm trying to remember!"

"Ma….sa! …ri…a!"

I looked up, my face stained with tears. Was someone trying to call my name? None of the faces ever did that. Was somebody trying to wake me up? I reached up to where the voice was coming from, hoping it might help me get out of the excruciating experience I was going through. Nothing happened though.

The voices of the faces around me only got louder and crueler. "N-no! Stop!" I cried, beginning to scream.

My voice ripped through my throat, leaving it scratchy and painful. I cried for the voices to stop and to shut up. But they only kept getting louder, roaring over my screams. I quickly covered my ears and got into a fetal position. My screams continued to grow and progressively turned into loud sobs. "S-somebody… somebody please make it stop!"

Something suddenly jolted me into being awake. My eyes snapped open. My face was covered in tears that were still cascading down from my eyes and I was drenched in sweat. I felt my body tremble like crazy and my throat felt ragged, torn up as if I'd been screaming for a long time. The sobs that were erupting from me were only adding to the trembling. I also found that someone was holding tightly me in their arms.

Who it was I didn't care. I latched onto them, afraid they'd somehow disappear if I didn't. "P-please, please make them stop!" I sobbed, more terrified from the dream than I'd been before. "T-tell them that I'm trying! I-I really am!"

"I know, I know you're trying," the person holding me said soothingly, stroking my back.

Their voice told me that it was Spain. I latched onto him tighter, not willing to even consider ever letting go. I sobbed harder, unable to gain any control of what I was doing. I'd been remembering in the dream and it had all slipped away. I couldn't even remember what I'd remembered in the dream. I knew there'd been nations and we'd been somewhere. But I couldn't say what nations or where the place was.

"Th-they won't believe me! Th-they k-keep saying how I'm a horrible friend… h-how I can't remember them because they weren't important to me. B-but th-they were! I know they w-were!" I choked out, burring my face in Spain's shirt.

Another person suddenly hugged me from behind and put their hand on Spain's back, allowing me grab that as well as Spain's shirt, afraid that the feeling of safety the new set of arms brought would disappear if I didn't. "It's okay! They, whoever they are, are wrong! You're a very good friend! You make us cookies and make us laugh!"

Italy. I gripped his hand tighter, now deathly afraid he would leave me if I loosened my grip even slightly. Eventually the sobbing stopped and I loosened my grip. I refused to let Spain leave me though, which kept Italy sitting on the bed and hugging Spain and I. I wasn't sure where Romano was, maybe he had already gone to wherever they were staying.

I felt my eyes beginning to droop, my body starting to relax and stop shaking almost completely. "P-please don't leave…" I whispered to the two men holding me.

I was terrified to fall asleep and wake up with nobody there. It was selfish and greedy to ask them to continue giving so much of their time to me. But I was so scared that I… well that I really didn't care. "Don't worry. We'll stay here as long as you want us to, right Italy?" Spain said, his voice having a slightly calming affect.

"Yea, that's what friends are for, yea?" Italy said, his tone warm and sleepy.

Spain pulled my blanket up and wrapped it around me, causing my tiredness to feel so much more apparent to me. I felt consciousness attempting to leave me but the fear from my dream kept me from allowing it fully overtake me. "It's okay senorita," Spain said. "You can go to sleep. We aren't going to leave you."

I nodded, pulling away from Spain and looking up at him with a sleepy, yet forced, smile. I turned and managed to give Italy a small smile as well. "Th-thank you…" I said, allowing Spain to lay me down so I could snuggle into the blankets. "G-goodnight…"

Spain smile as he and Italy gently tucked me in. "Sweet dreams senorita."

"Sleep tight bella~" Italy chimed in, yawning slightly before sitting down on one of the chairs beside my bed.

"Mmmm… you too…" I murmured, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

Funny thing was, that was the first time I'd slept soundly and woke up without a dream to remember in two weeks.

**Not even gonna bother with translations cause I've done those words plenty of times now xD Anyways... I see that there's a new feature with images o.O And they can be used to make covers :D So... I was wondering if anyone would be willing to draw me a cover of some sort? I love drawing but I seem to fail when it comes to Hetalia art :( I do have a stick figure art of Hetalia for the lulz but I'd like something a bit more intricate than stick figures for this xP So if anyone's willing... I'm super appreciative and you can just pm me or review on here or whatever :)**

**In other news... I've auditioned for some voice acting work (not paid work, just internet flash video) so here's hopping for my first piece of work in the voice acting industry! Also, school's almost over for the year! Then I'll be a senior in high school! And I turn 18 in less than two months! Cazyness! Time is flying! Happy yet very sad about it. But meh, that's just me :P**

**Prussia: You talk to much :/**

**Sh-shuddup! All I'm doing is saying what's going on with me!**

**Prussia: They didn't come here for that though. They came here for the awesome me. Who hasn't had much screen time as of late :I**

**:/ That's because you're a screen hog.**

**Russia: Yea, I've had barely any time in the story at all.**

**Eheheheh... yea... about that...**

**Russia: You will be having me in the story more now, da? *scary aura***

**Ahahaha... yea... of course!**

**Russia: Good ^J^**


	36. Revelation

"You excited to be getting released?"

Thomas was filling out a bit of the paperwork that would okay me to leave the hospital. Truth be told, I couldn't wait to get out. I'd been stuck there for far too long. It was long enough that I'd really lost track of the total amount of time it'd been. I new it had to be somewhere between two and three months.

I was still losing memories but it was at a much slower rate than before. But due to the fact I was still losing memories, I would still have to come back for the occasional checkup. But that meant Thomas and I could still see each other every so often so I wouldn't complain. He'd become, what I considered to be, a good friend during my time in the hospital. So it was good to be able to see him still, even if was under such circumstances.

"Yea," I said, managing to force a small smile. "It'll be nice to be able to go home.

Thomas smiled and nodded, setting his pen down and handing the paperwork to the nurse who was waiting in the room with us. "Well," he said, with a friendly tone. "Now that that's done, I have to go check on a few other patients. But don't leave before I can say goodbye."

Prussia would be showing up with Germany to pick me up and escort me home by two-thirty. It was about one-thirty now. An hour of paperwork being processed and I would be out. "Okay," I said, nodding with my forced smile.

I was still having difficulty showing much of anything that conveyed anything remotely close to happiness but I was trying my best. Thomas walked out of the room, leaving me alone in my soon to be vacated hospital room.

After about ten minutes a knock sounded on the door and it opened. I looked and saw a man walking in. I squinted. He looked familiar somehow. Like I knew him. Maybe I did and I'd just forgotten who he was. "Hello…" I said. "I'm sorry if this sounds rude but… who're you?"

The man looked at me, flashing a perfectly white smile. "I'm Trent," he said.

Trent. That name definitely rung a bell. And it somehow didn't sound like good bell. "Oh?" I asked, trying to push past the tinge of worry I was feeling. "I'm sorry but… do I know you?"

"Most definitely," /Trent said, his smile saddening slightly. "If only he'd have sped things up…"

I furrowed my eyebrows. He? Sped things up? What was he talking about? "What?"

The smile turned apologetic. "It's nothing, just talking to myself," Trent said, waving his hand as if to brush aside the thought.

Footsteps suddenly sounded from down the hospital hall as Trent began walking closer to me. My head suddenly started throbbing with pain as he got closer. Thomas was in the room before Trent was even by my bedside. "You…" Thomas whispered.

Trent looked back and smirked. "Hello Thomas," he said, his voice friendly and cool. "Have you been enjoying your time… shirking your end of this it seems…"

"What are you doing here?" Thomas asked, his voice sounding worried as he stepped in and shut the door.

I grabbed my head, the pain increasing as Trent stepped closer, now right beside me. "Oh, you know what I'm doing. I'm finishing what you promised you'd do."

"No! She shouldn't have to deal with any of this! What you did to her… none of this is right! Just let her live the life you tricked her into taking on!" Thomas said, his tone sounding angry.

I groaned, my head feeling as if were going to burst as Trent placed his hand on my forehead. Memories came rushing back. Everything from before. Life before I showed up in the meeting room. Everything that had happened since I'd showed up. How I'd been hurt enough to end up in the hospital as long as I'd been in it. And something I hadn't even remembered during all of it.

* * *

><p><em>I was walking along the sidewalk, a bored expression on my face. It was spring break and I'd been dropped off at the mall. But I'd grown board and had another couple of hours before my parents would even show up. So I had decided to leave the mall and just take a short walk.<em>

_All of my friends were off doing things with their families for the break so I was becoming pretty lonely. I sighed, placing my headphones in my ears and began humming along with the ending songs for the different characters in Hetalia._

_Hetalia. It was easily one of the funniest and most enjoyable animes I'd ever watched. It wasn't my favorite, that spot was reserved for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but it was extremely close. Eventually I found myself quietly singing along._

_Just as some Relient K began to play I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I jumped, slightly startled, as I pulled out my earbuds and looked back. A man was standing behind me. "Hello?" I asked cautiously, having no idea who this was._

_"Hi," he responded, flashing a pearly white smile. "My name's Trent and I couldn't help but notice that you're singing music from Hetalia."_

_I blinked, a blush suddenly coming to my face. "I-I'm sorry if I was bothering you…" I said quietly, my tone conveying the embarrassment I felt from being heard singing._

_I'd thought I'd been singing quietly enough that nobody would be able to hear me. So much for that. I'd been told I had a nice voice but I didn't like the idea of random strangers hearing me singing unless it was for a choir or jazz band concert. It made me feel annoying if people could hear me on the streets._

_"Don't apologize," Trent said. "It sounded great and I was just surprised you knew about Hetalia."_

_I looked at him, my blush deepening at the comment. He was good looking, getting a compliment from anyone would've caused me to blush but someone I found attractive showing a common interest and complimenting me? If we were in an anime I probably would've been beet red and close to a nose bleed. "Th-thank you…"_

_"It's no trouble at all. Now, before we part ways… I have a question for you."_

_I titled my head, suddenly confused. "Shoot."_

_"What would you do if I told you, you could meet the characters from Hetalia?"_

_"Think your insane and call the loony bin to haul you off," I said with a joking smile, now relaxing slightly._

_"Really? Because you can… and I can help make that possible."_

_"Oh? And how do you figure?"_

_"Just take this." He took my hand and put a coin into it before closing my grasp on the coin. "Put it under your pillow tonight and when you wake up… you'll get to have the adventure of a life time!"_

_"Okay…"_

_"Now… for this to work, you have to promise to do something for me while you're there."_

_"What?"_

_At this point I was honestly just humoring the man. It was obvious he wasn't completely all there. But it did sound like a really interesting and fun idea. To be able to go into a fictional world just by placing a simple coin under my pillow. Absurd but magical and fantastic all the same. "I need you to just gain their trust. And if you run into me while there I need you to help me do something."_

_Something? Could he be any more ambiguous about it? "Would this something be nice? Will they like it?"_

_"It's very nice, they probably won't like it at first but it's something they love with time."_

_"Okay then, if they'll like it. Then sure! I'll help you out with it."_

_"Fantastic! Now remember, just place that coin under your pillow when you go to bed tonight!"_

_And with that, Trent walked off, leaving me with an odd coin that would supposedly take me to the world of Hetalia. People… they were getting stranger with each day._

* * *

><p>I blinked, my head still throbbing as Trent continued to return memories to me. The memories of being sick and missing some school… they'd been a lie made up by the coin. None of that had been real. I'd gotten home late that night and changed into pajama bottoms and a shirt. I'd put the coin under my pillow and crashed. Then I woke up in this world.<p>

All the memories Trent had been saying were real… they were actually fake. Figments to try to make me trust him more. But that hadn't really worked in his favor. So he'd gotten angry and done this. Sent me to the hospital. A memory that wasn't even mine came to me.

It was of Trent and Thomas. Thomas was talking to Trent… being paid by him to request me as a patient. It had all been set up so Trent would be able to keep an eye on me. Thomas was an old friend of Trent's… they'd grown up in the same neighborhood. But Thomas hadn't known anything about Trent's plans other than he was going to get me to help him in some sort of plot. And to do that, I'd have to lose my memories of my actual past.

But Thomas hadn't been doing his job well enough. So that plan was being scrapped. Trent was going to his last ditch effort. He was returning all my memories and… I wasn't able to tell what would be happening next. I groaned, still holding my head as Trent took his hand away from my forehead. "Y-you lied," I managed to get out. "You said it would be something that would make them happy! B-but all you're trying to get is power!"

Trent laughed. "Honestly, I think me lying about that is the least of your worries right now, Rissy."

"D-don't call me that," I moaned as Thomas stepped forward, looking at me worriedly.

"Trent, just leave her be! She's been through more than enough!" Thomas said.

"You're one to talk, Thomas. You've been the one that been slipping the pills to help her forget," Trent said.

I looked at Thomas, suddenly feeling completely and utterly betrayed. I'd trusted Thomas but he'd been conspiring with Trent. It didn't matter that he wasn't for it anymore. He'd completely betrayed any and all trust I had for him. "Only in the beginning… I stopped…. I really did!"

Tears began rolling down my face at the admittance Thomas had just given. That logic… it was horrible. It was like someone being charged for murder… it was like them saying, "Yes, I stabbed the person, but only the first few times! The killing blows were delivered by my partner!"

"Either way," Trent said. "All of this is going to start working out for me… right now."

**O.O Bum-bum-buuuuuuum! The climax... it has been reached ;D**

**Prussia: You suck with climaxes. This climax, it is not awesome!**

**...Ouch :( That hurts. Truly and deeply.**

**Prussia: Good .**

**:/ What's with you?**

**Germany: He is mad that he doesn't get to drive to the hospital =.=**

**...Really? That's what you're worried about? Not the fact that Trent is in the hospital room and Thomas has been working for him :/**

**Thomas: Hey! I'm not anymore D:**

**That doesn't matter! You still started out doing that and being a jerk who is the reason behind all the memory loss D**

**Thomas: TT~TT Don't be angry at me! You're the writer!**

**Trent: Yea! Now all you Prussia girls need to leave me alone I**

**...You really think that's going to happen after this plot twist?**

**Trent: *sigh* No... but it was worth a try... *goes back into hiding***

**...okay then... sorry if this plot twist/climax thingy is stupid :(**

**Prussia: Which it is .**

**Stop being such a meanie head! I already apologized! Jeez :/**

**America: I want cookies...**

**Russia: And screen time...**

**Belarus: Become one with me Russia! Marrymemarrymemarrymemarryme!**

**Everyone: *runs away and hides***


	37. Wounds

Things were going to start working out for Trent? What was that supposed to mean? Did he expect than anyone would cooperate with him? If that was the case then he was extremely deluded. No one was going to cooperate with him. Thomas had already made it clear that he was now completely against what Trent was trying to do and I obviously wasn't going to willingly help him.

A smirk was beginning to play on Trent's lips as he reached into his pocket. Thomas' eyes widened as I tried to see what Trent was pulling out. "Trent… you don't have to do this!" Thomas said, his tone becoming panicked as he stepped forward.

A click sounded and I saw that Trent was pointing a gun at Thomas. "I'm not afraid to shoot you. So if you know what good for you then you won't come any closer," Trent said with a cold and uncaring tone, as if his friendship with Thomas were nothing.

But Thomas continues to inch closer, looking between the gun and I with worry and fear. A bang rang out and Thomas fell to the ground. I screamed as blood started pooling around him, from where I could tell. I jumped up but was quickly grabbed by Trent. The gun was pressed against my temple as I struggled to get over to Thomas.

Trent began chanting some words in Latin. I could no longer understand the phrases like I'd been able to when I'd escaped Trent before. A bright light flashed as Thomas reached towards us and some nurses opened the door.

Suddenly I was in a totally different environment. Instead of the hospital room Trent had somehow transported us to a room that looked like it was possibly a basement or could've been a bomb shelter. I was thrown onto a couch that was in the room as Trent put his gun back into his pocket. He then proceeded to tie me up.

"Let go!" I screamed, hoping there might be someone outside of the room who would hear me and come help me.

As he tied me I struggled to get away from him, using much more effort than I ever had when Mayotte and Canary had tied or handcuffed me. This was so much different than those times. This was life or death. I could very well die if I didn't get out of here. And if I was tied up and unable to even attempt escape then my chances of survival went down drastically.

"Stop struggling," Trent growled, pulling out the gun and roughly pushing it against my neck.

I coughed, unable to scream from the sudden blow to my windpipe. Tears began streaming down my face as Trent finished tying me up. I was defenseless and had no hope of escape. "Now…" Trent said, his expression become amused and excited with how things were progressing for him. "We need to make it so they'll take me seriously when I give them my demands…"

The muzzle of the gun was suddenly pushed against my right shoulder and a bang sounded. I screamed, a horrendous pain shooting through me. I cried out, my head earning its own throbbing pain as Trent slammed the gun against it. My tears were beginning to mix with the blood that was trickling down my head from the contact with Trent's gun.

A piece of duct tape was placed over my mouth and a camera was set up. During the recording Trent explained his demands of being given a massively large sum of money. He knew that one small country like me wasn't enough to get the kind of power he so craved so he'd settle for billions of dollars instead.

To further prove how serious he was about his demands. He kept his gun pointed against my head almost the entire time and pulled out a knife at the end, carving a T into my left arm. He claimed this would be something for me to remember him by when everything was all over.

When the recording was over Trent took the camera with him outside of the room, leaving me alone on the couch. I sobbed, the pain overtaking my entire thought process. I had one of the lowest pain tolerances in the world, but I was pretty sure anyone would find this amount of pain unbearable. I couldn't even focus on trying to formulate a way to escape.

All of those stories and movies where people took a bullet or had been horribly beaten but still managed to fight on… I didn't understand how those could possibly be true or considered realistic. I just wanted to die so the pain would stop. I knew I had friends who would want me to not give up… but could anyone really blame me if I did? Could anyone actually call me weak at this point?

I felt a sudden lack of pain. I was incredibly noticeable for me but I welcomed it as anyone would've. It reminded me of something… something that had happened since I'd showed up in this world. It was when Britain had accidentally broken my nose! My nose had definitely been broken but it had healed before . And Thomas had been going on and on about how amazing it was that I was healing so quickly from such substantial injuries.

I looked and saw that, though I still had blood staining my clothes, I was no longer bleeding. There were scars where I'd been hurt, but they were no longer open. And the bullet seemed to be pushing its way out of my body. Could being a county have some sort of affect on my healing process? Was it able to speed it up to an inhuman speed? Russia had jumped out of a plane without a parachute and lived… so it was completely possible.

There was still pain but it was quickly dulling and by the time Trent came back, which was a good amount of hours later, it was completely gone. He looked me over, becoming suddenly interested in the fact that I wasn't crying and that the blood covering me was dry. "Thomas had said you'd healed alarmingly fast… he had to make it look like it had taken a lot longer than it actually had…"

I glared as he grabbed my face and pulled me closer. Fear filled me. Even if I could heal extremely fast that was no guarantee that Trent still couldn't kill me. The glint in his eyes made it obvious he was thinking the same thing. If he couldn't kill me and the other countries were aware of this then all they would have to worry about was finding me. But it wasn't like it was something he could really test out. If he killed me it would be game over. He'd have nothing to negotiate with.

"But there must be the possibility of death for a country… jut look Rome," Trent muttered.

But Rome wasn't dead… Trent must not have realized that though. I wasn't going to try to correct him if his ignorance kept me alive though. I wasn't even sure if I was safe so I was going to take any break I could get. I'd have been an idiot not to and now was not the time to be an idiot.

* * *

><p>Days passed before Trent got word back from the nations on his demands. The days were filled with him causing more bodily harm to me to see what would or wouldn't heal. As each wound healed he'd make a new one in its place. The T shaped scar he'd given me had become worse with each time he reopened it. Instead of being a barely noticeable, light pink imperfection on my skin it had become bright red and looked to be infected.<p>

It was easy enough to say that I'd come to find a completely new and unchallengeable hatred for Trent. He was cruel and horrible. I'd managed to keep him at bay well enough that he hadn't managed to do anything outside of causing me bodily harm. With the knowledge of how quickly I could heal I wouldn't allow myself to let the pain stifle me enough to not fight back.

The sudden hysterical laughter from upstairs made me nervous. Him practically smashing the door in was even more worrisome, especially when I caught said of expression on his face. He looked as though he'd cracked. A maniacal smile on his face and his eyes worthy of the 'crazy eyes' title. He made his way over to me and lifted my up by the collar of my shirt. I winced, my left arm throbbing as it usually did now. "Your friends have made contact with me Rissy," he said. "They're going to give into my demands… but what's to say you'll actually live through this?"

My eyes widened. If he was saying what I thought he was saying then… even though he was getting what he wanted… I would still die if it were possible.

**Geez... I really hope this chapter didn't suck xP I always think I suck when it comes to writing violent chapters. Love reading the stuff *coughcough*HungerGamesandHarryPotter*coughcough* but I fail at writing it :(**

**Prussia: This is true :/ You are so not awesome with violence.**

**...Why're you being so mean to me lately!**

**Prussia: Cause I'm not in the story lately :/**

**Russia: Da! What has happened to my extra screen time?**

**...I'm really sorry? It's not really possible to just have you guys poof into it out of nowhere :/**

**Prussia: Sure it is, I'm just that awesome ;)**

**But that would just be a lame copout way to fix the problem :/ But either way I promise you'll both be in the sequel more :)**

**Russia: There is sequel?**

**Oh yes ;D I have a sequel planned. I've been wanting to write it for a while. And it will be... quite different from this one :P**

**Mayotte and Canary: And we'll totally be in it, right?**

**Not if I can help it .**

**Canary: And why not?**

**Prussia: Because nobody likes you two, you're so un-awesome it's not even funny ;D**

**And before they can even try to come up with a comeback to that perfectly true insult I'll say this... Hasta la pasta! Oh! And Happy Fathers Day everyone :D**


	38. Escape

The idea that he would still kill me even after he'd gotten what he wanted somehow hadn't occurred to me. Even with how cruel and horrible he was I hadn't been smart enough to think of that possibility. And if he was completely serious about that then there was no way I was going to survive this. Not unless something went horribly wrong for him that kept him from killing me or I could somehow escaped before he could.

But how would I have any chance at escaping when I was unable to even walk. Trent had tied me up in order to make sure of this. And I had no idea what was outside of this room. There was a bathroom down here that Trent would occasionally untie me to use. And the little food Trent gave me he got from a little cabinet and mini refrigerator he had down here. For all I knew, I could be anywhere from the middle of the forest to a bad neighborhood that I'd still be in just as much trouble if I got out into and found by someone else. Hell, I wasn't even aware what country I was in.

But that didn't mean I shouldn't still try. I had to try if I wanted any chance at survival. And that meant I would try. I wanted to survive. Not only for myself but for the people of my country and my friends… if they were willing to pay the ridiculous sum Trent had demanded then that had to mean they cared.

And then there was my family and friends back home. If Trent had managed to transport himself between worlds multiple times then that had to mean that there was a way for me to get back home. If I was back home then I'd get to see everyone again. I hadn't seen them in so long… a few months and it would be a year.

I had to wonder what they all thought of my disappearance at this point. Since it had been so long did that mean they'd given up on me? And what would it be like going back after all I'd been through. I'd missed half of my junior year in high school and almost all of my senior year now. I'd have to make up all of that after having been a country.

The idea of finishing school sounded almost trivial now. I had the fear of not surviving now and the possibility of finishing up school was just now entering my mind. If I hadn't been so terrified I might have laughed. I had to remember… that's that but this is this. I had to push the worries of what would happen when I got back until I actually managed to get back. For right now I had to think about actually escaping and surviving.

Getting out before Trent dragged me off to wherever the 'exchange' would take place was one of the main things to worry about. For all I knew, the 'trade-off' could take place the next morning and I'd be dragged off immediately. It wasn't like Trent would just use his magic, or whatever it was that he was using, to make us appear there. He had to have a means of quick escape. Something that wouldn't take chanting, something like a car.

Getting untied so I could actually run was the other big thing. Trent had tied the ropes insanely tight, each time they were retied it seemed to be worse. They were chafing and uncomfortable, constantly restricting the blood flow in my arms and legs. How I'd get them off I had no idea. It would have to be done as quickly as possible.

If I could possibly find something to cut the rope with when Trent wasn't around. He left me on my own the majority of the time so that was to my advantage. But finding something would be really difficult. There was a can opener but it was far to high for me to reach… maybe there'd be something in the mini-fridge.

Trent pulled up closer causing me to wince. He smirked, looking into my eyes with a glint that made me feel more nervous and fearful than I would've preferred. "An accidental death is always possible to arrange Rissy," he said, his breath tickling my nose. "It's always avoidable too if you would just cooperate with me."

I gulped, if he was getting at what I thought he was implying then… well I really didn't want to think about. To threaten my life over letting him have his way with me… it was sickening. But it might provide me an opportunity to escape as well.

I gulped and looked up into his eyes, forcing myself to nod as the idea of what I was supposedly agreeing to brought tears to my eyes. Trent smirked and untied my hands and feet. He then began roughly kissing me, easily beginning to unbutton my shirt. With my ability to move restored, I brought my knees up and hit Trent directly in the groin. He gasped and fell onto of me, grabbing a hold of my hands so I couldn't push him off of me.

No. I hadn't thought he'd be able to think through the pain enough to grab me. I began struggling and crying for him to let go of me. A laugh managed to escape him through his pain filled moaning. "You thought you be able to get away that easily? St-stupid bitch… I'm not a fuckin' idiot."

I struggled even more, attempting to kick Trent off of me. Tears began pouring down my face. I'd thought I'd been so close to having a chance, but Trent was going to get what he wanted and I would die. There was no way out of this now. I was going to die… and I couldn't do anything to stop that.

"Let go!" I cried, Trent beginning to get back up and sitting on my legs.

He then grabbed both of my hands in one of his and held them above my head. He then proceeded to continue unbuttoning my shirt as I struggled and cried for him to stop. "Shut up!" He yelled, slapping me. "Just shut up and pretend I'm that idiot Prussia or something!"

I sobbed, the hurt of the slap, the fear of what was happening, and the shock of what Trent had just said all bubbling up to be too much. I began struggling even more and managing to slip one of my hands out of Trent's grasp. I quickly began hitting him causing him to use his free hand to grab it and lean forward to put its back in it prison. I took my chance and kicked up with my knee.

Trent went forward and toppled off of the couch, taking me down with him. His head hit the concrete floor with a hard thud, me landing atop of him. I felt his grasp significantly loosen and saw that he was dazed. I jumped up and ran up the stairs and swung open the door, closing it and locking it behind me. I then ran to the door that looked like it would lead outside, buttoning my shirt and trying to not slip from the lack of friction between the wooden floor and the soft hospital socks I was wearing.

As soon as I made it outside I saw that it was nighttime. And I quickly noted that I was looking out into a field. A wheat field that looked to lead to a forest. I made a mad dash toward the forest, figuring I'd be able to hide better in the foliage than I would the wheat field. If The Hunger Games had taught me anything it was that the forest held a plethora of hiding spots.

I ran through the wheat field, grateful for the fact of the wheat being so much taller than me but ungrateful with how long it took me to get to the foliage the forest held. The sound of Trent stumbling out of the house and yelling out in frustration found its way to me as I made my way into the bushes and trees.

He'd have no idea which way I'd headed. The forest had made almost a half of a circle around his house, leaving me with plenty of directions to go. And the other half of the his house had been, what looked like, endless wheat fields so I could've gone to hide out in.

I wasn't even really sure what direction I'd gone, other than that it was the forest. I'd just started running, not caring if I had to zigzag or curve my path. And I was in the forest so I was going to travel into it deeper, hoping to find a rode eventually and get more of a distance between Trent and I.

Distance… yes that was a good thing to gain. And distance could possibly lead me to finding help.

**Sheesh xP This was a fun chapter to write! It was like writing the chapters about escaping France's house again! Those were some of my favorite to write :D I love intense chapter where people are running from danger and stuff almost happens but somehow manages not to (though I always feel really lame in however I manage to make it not happen, such as just dazing Trent, but ah well xP)! They're so exciting and nerve-wracking for me ^.^ And Trent finally got some bodily harm in the story so... yay for that ^^; **

**Prussia: What was with that crack he made about me being an idiot though :/**

**. You're a jerk for only caring about that...**

**Prussia: :I I don't only care about that. That Trent bastard needs to die for what he's doing, but I really don't like him now. He called me an idiot! I'm not an idiot! I'm awesome! I'm the awesome Prussia and demand the respect my awesomeness makes me deserve!**

**Trent: Damnit! why's everybody saying I need to die! You're the author, you're the one making this stuff happen D: I'm not bad, it's just how I'm written!**

**Shut up Trent, you're a bastard and you know it .**

**Trent: Fine, I'm not going to deny that... it's true. My parents weren't married when I was born. I am legally a bastard child.**

**=.= Really? Are you really getting technical on me? Your creator?**

**Trent: Yes. Yes I am.**

**Fine then. *snaps fingers***

**Trent: *Lightening bolt hits him out of nowhere* Ow... *Falls to the ground***

**Prussia: ...O.O You just got kind of awesome. Only kind of though.**

**^.^ I'll take it and be happy with that compliment! *skips off and hangs out with the severely underloved Baltic states* Canada, you can join us as well if you want ^.^**

**Canada: M-maple! R-really!**

**Lithuania: Sure why not?**

**Canada: ^.^ O-okay then!**

**Poland: And I shall join as well ^.^**

**...Fine, but only if you'll let Lichtenstein ride your poney.**

**Poland: ...Fine.**

**Lichtenstein: Yay!**

**^.^ Happy Lichtenstein mean happy Switzerland, which means Italy isn't shot!**

**Italy: Yay! **


	39. Forest

I ran through the forest, ignoring the pain of being practically barefoot and stepping on sharp rocks along with branches hitting and scratching me. It was nothing in comparison to the pain I'd already dealt with and the fear that was coursing through me. Each stick that snapped and bush that rustled caused the fear of Trent managing to figure out where I was to heighten.

I had to keep going and find someone. I had to find my way out of the dense forest… to a road maybe. If I found a road I could run along it and hopefully get a car to stop for me. If I could do that I'd be safe. I'd be able to contact the nations. I'd get to see them again… I'd be with Prussia.

Prussia… I really needed to see him. Hear him laugh and say how he was awesome. He'd done so much for me. Stayed so many hours with me when I was in the hospital. Even when I was too depressed to do anything but sleep and wake up screaming… he'd stayed through all of that. So had all of the nations.

I had to thank all of them. But the thing I wanted and needed more than anything else was a hug. It didn't matter from who the hug was from. Just a pair of arms around me and a familiar voice telling me it was okay… that it was all over.

It did matter who it was from… it couldn't be a hug from just any nation. It had to be from one of two nations. Prussia and Britain. They were the ones I was the closest to.

Britain was the closest thing I had to family right now. And he even treated me like it. He protected me like I was his own little sister or daughter. A hug from him would feel like the closest thing I had to home right now.

Prussia… he seemed to truly care for me and I cared for him. I still felt as though it was weird, even more so now that I was absolutely sure of my past, since he was a fictional character where I came from. And it felt wrong considering I had shown up, already a fan girl of his character. But I had grown to actually care for him now, despite the obnoxiousness he so blatantly showed and the dislike I'd had for him during my time at France's. A hug from him would feel so safe. I desperately needed a feeling of safety, not that I'd get one with the situation I was in now.

Other nations had become extremely good and close friends to me but I wasn't needing a hug from someone like a best friend. I needed a hug from someone that had a relationship with me like Britain and Prussia did. But to get that hug I needed to get to them. I had to manage to find the safety and contact that would get me to them.

I was beginning to grow tired. My adrenalin was dying down despite the fear. My sides were aching and my breath was growing short, causing my throat and lungs pain with every breath I took in. But if I were to stop running then I would give Trent the chance to find me. I couldn't do that. But if I kept going and Trent did find me then I'd be in no shape to try to escape. That wouldn't help me any either.

I began to slow my pace to a walk and immediately felt a lack of energy hit me like a ton of bricks. Not stopping was all I could to keep myself from completely collapsing. This was bad. If Trent found me now… I was screwed. I was too tired and weak to even see straight. Everything was beginning to spin.

I swayed, my legs wobbling as I reached out, managing to grab a frostbitten tree as I began falling to the ground. I wasn't going to be able to keep going. I had to stop, I had no choice in the matter anymore. Even crawling wouldn't be possible for more than a few minutes.

I took advantage of what crawling I could do though, going forward a few feet, a cold breeze now registering enough to nip at my nose, and hiding myself in a bush. Hopefully I'd be safe for the time I needed to rest. I'd know when I woke up. The sound of somebody running past my hiding spot barely registered as my eyes drooped, their footsteps crashing noisily but fading as I grew closer and closer to being asleep.

Consciousness was gone in less than two minutes, my body completely past letting the freezing temperatures really bother me.

* * *

><p>My eyes fluttered open to be greeted by a pair of eyes staring at me. I looked at them, blinking groggily and not really understanding what was happening. The eyes blinked back and I noticed that they were brown, like coffee with a very small bit of creamer in it. They got closer and a wet nose pressed against my cheek causing me to giggle and push the owner of the wet nose and brown eyes.<p>

I then blinked, somewhat coherent. A wet nose and eyes staring at me? I looked and saw that it was a bear cub staring at me. Shit. I cried out in fear and jumped up, getting fairly scratched up by the bush I'd been sleeping in. A baby bear meant that there would be a mama bear not to far away. I didn't want to deal with that.

I quickly crawled out of the bush and began walking away, slipping slightly on the light layer of snow on the ground, hoping I wasn't headed back to the wheat field. But a light tug on my pants made me look back. The baby bear was following me and now playing with my pants leg. I sighed and looked at it nervously. "Come on," I said, gently pulling my leg away. "Let go and go back to your mom."

The baby bear only walked closer to me and butted its head against my leg. I tumbled over, landing face first, causing me to shiver even more than I already was. I began getting up only to have the cub crawl on top of my back and sit down. Why me? "Can you please get off of me?" I asked pleadingly, doing my best to look back and give the cub a stern expression. "I really need to find my way out and your not helping…"

The cub yawned and laid across me. Great, just great. I was now the bed of an overgrown teddy bear. This sucked.

I attempted to crawl out from under the cub and found that, despite the fairly light-weight of the cub, it wasn't going to be easy. A large snap from beside me caused me to look and begin panicking. I was out in the open, trapped under a baby bear. There were several possibilities, the most likely being Trent or the mother bear. Neither alternative sounded to great.

The creator of the sound was soon revealed. I looked at them, my eyes wide and a grin spreading across my face. It wasn't a mama bear and it wasn't Trent. It was something that brought hope to me, something I never thought this thing could bring me. "R-Russia!" I called out, causing him to look down and see me trapped under a bear.

Russia gasped, the sight of me covered in dried blood, most likely bruised, and under a bear cub probably shocking enough on its own. "Marissa!" he asked, looking surprised.

I grinned, still feeling incredibly weak but insanely happy to see a familiar face. Trent must've taken us to Russia, somewhere close enough to where Russia actually lived that I'd gotten lucky. I wasn't going to complain or question the idiocy he'd shown in doing this. Of all the countries… Russia was one of the main ones that you wouldn't want to mess with.

"Hey…" I croaked, beginning to feel my air being cut off by the bear cub and the exhaustion of the past few day coming down on me. Sleep had given me the energy to get out of the bush but it hadn't really rested me enough to be considered recovered, and the bear on top of me wasn't helping any. "C-could you please help me?"

Russia nodded, removed the small bear from my back, and picked me up, carrying me in his arms. I laid my head against his coat, soaking in some of the warmth as I shivered. I finally had a feeling of safety… well as much of one as I could have with Russia being the one to find me.

Something warm suddenly covered me. I blinked and saw that Russia had somehow gotten his scarf off and atop of me. I looked up and saw that he was smiling down at me. "Th-thank you," I said, slowly rapping the scarf around my neck.

"Is no problem," Russia replied. "I am just glad to be finding you. Everyone is very worried after the message we received."

I nodded, suddenly catching sight of the end of the forest. I smiled, feeling as though the ordeal was finally over. But… how could it really be over with Trent still looking for me? There was no way he'd be caught easily… and that meant it would never really be over until he was caught… not with the lust for power and money he had. But I wouldn't worry about that, for now I'd just be thankful for the newfound safety I had.

"How did you get out here?" Russia asked, breaking the silence between us.

I blinked, slightly burying my face in the scarf to hid the tears that were welling up in my eyes. "I-I… I escaped… and this forest was really close to were I was being kept…" I said, not wanting to talk about everything that had happened… how I'd managed my escape.

"Oh?" Russia asked, looking at me with confusion. "There aren't many buildings around this forest. My house is the only one I know of actually…"

I looked up, equally as confused as Russia seemed to be. "But… there's a house back there… encircled in a wheat field…"

"A wheat field?" Russia asked, his brows furrowing as he stopped walking. "But there aren't any wheat fields around here…"

What did he mean there weren't any wheat fields around here. I hadn't run that far before I'd collapsed. I'd run through the wheat field. There had to be some remnants that had stuck to my clothes. I began feeling around and managed to find a small piece of the wheat that had latched onto my clothes and hadn't fallen off as I ran. "Here," I said, holding the bit up for him to see. "Here's some of it…"

Russia looked at the bit of wheat and frowned, glaring as if to find something that would classify it as something other than wheat. He then began walking again. "I'll talk to the Baltic states, Ukraine, and… B-Belarus…" his voice shook, suddenly sounding somewhat frightened at the thought of willingly be near and talking to Belarus. "Th-they might know something about this.

I nodded, unsure of how to reply. As Russia continued to walk I felt an undeniable feeling of greatfulness that he was refraining from asking me to become one with Mother Russia. I felt myself beginning to relax into the rhythm of Russia's walking, snuggling into the scarf and closing my eyes as I shivered. "We're almost there," Russia said, obviously sensing my exhaustion and discomfort caused by the cold.

"Th-thank you," I said, lightly sneezing and mentally moaning at the possibility of me coming down with a cold.

I'd been sleeping outside in this cold weather and I was wearing a T-shit and jeans. The T-shirt was bad enough without being in jeans. Jeans didn't provide any warmth for me in the cold. Denim did soak up heat but it also soaked up cold. The only warmth I'd been provided was the protection of the bush. It wouldn't surprise me if I ended us with a cold. Colds sucked. But… I'd survive it as long as I was safe with the nations. As long as I was away from Trent… I'd be happy as long as I had that.

**I really hope having Russia show up and find her didn't seem like a stupid cop-out or something along those lines (as you've probably noticed, I'm not always very confident in my writing decisions xP) But... Russia is finally getting more screen time!**

**Russia: Da, now I don't have to kill you ^J^**

**...Wha-what?**

**Russia: Oh nothing. *Creepy aura***

**O-okay then... Oh just cause I'm to excited about this... I got a Hetalia messenger bag for school next year x) I loves it so much. And I got a Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood binder and Black Butler folders x) I know school isn't for a while but... I loved them so much and my mom said I could get them now x) I'm totally gonna be the coolest student next year, yea?**

**Prussia: No :/ I am not on the messenger bag so it's not awesome :I**

**B-but... it has Italy, Germany, and Japan :C**

**Prussia: Psh, West minuses awesomeosity points :/**

**Germany: *Face palm* Awesomeosity? Is that even a word?**

**Prussia: It is now )D **

**Neologism for the win?**

**Prussia: Neolololo... wha?**

**=.= Neologism, it's a term I learned in English class.**

**Prussia: I thought you were from America...**

**America: Yea... shouldn't you be taking an American class! Traitor!**

**Britain and I: *facepalm* Oh wow...**

**Austria: Here's a little educational blip...**

**Narrator: Now that it's been made clear, once again, that Americans speak English, not AMURICAN, and that Prussia and America are both complete idiots...**

**Prussia and America: Hey!**

**Shuddup and let her continue!**

**Narrator: Anyway... neologism basically mean the making up of a new word. So a neologist, as Prussia has now made himself, is someone who makes up new words.**

**Prussia: Whoa... I am an awesome neologist!**

**Spain: Actually... sorry mi amigo... but that word's been made up before...**

**Now that you mention it... I think I've heard that word used in Tobuscus videos...**

**America: Tobuscus! He's awesome!**

**^.^ I know, right?**

**Germany: *sighs* We're ending here because this chapter is becoming really long...**

**Oh... yea... um... long chapter is long so... byes!**


	40. Safety

Russia hadn't been kidding when he'd said that we were almost to his place. But, despite barely five minutes even passing I was beginning to feel pretty miserable. I was definitely coming down with a cold. I was continuously holding my hands over my mouth from coughing and sneezing so much, attempting to not infect Russia's scarf… but it was probably too late to prevent that. Russia seemed to sense my efforts because he looked down and smiled at me, telling me that I didn't have to worry because he'd just wash it later.

I nodded but continued to try to direct my coughs and sneezes away from the borrowed piece of cloth. Once in Russia's home I was set on a couch and Russia ran off to go get blankets for me and call the other nations. The entire time I felt as if I was being watched. "He-hello?" I called out, forcing myself up. I looked around, terrified that Trent may have somehow gotten into Russia's house. "I-is anyone there?"

Three men peaked around the corner to the hallway nearest me. I smiled, going into a coughing fit again as I removed the scarf and began folding it. It was the Baltic states. I'd only really gotten to talk to Lithuania, and even that hadn't been much with how much Poland had dominated the conversation, but all three of them seemed nice enough. I'd thought they were independent now but… this seemed to contradict that theory.

Lithuania stepped out from the hallway. "Miss Marissa?" he asked, looking shocked as he seemingly recognized me. "Wha-what happened to you!"

As I finished my latest coughing fit I wondered how to answer a question like that. I didn't want to go into all the details of what happened. I had plenty of dried blood on me to show that I'd been hurt, hell… I was practically covered in it from not having been able to wash any of it off. My clothes were stiff with the stuff and my hair was matted and had gotten a good deal of the blood in it. I had plenty of bruises and scars… the T shaped on not visible because of my T-shirt. And they'd just seen me go into a coughing fit which had probably lead them to the possibility of me being sick. And I then there was the dirt, leaves from the forest along with some tears in my clothing from the forest, Trent ignoring the clothes to use his knife or gun on me, or one of Trent's attempts to… de-clothe me.

It was obvious I'd been through something… and, from the shock and horror on the Baltic states faces, it was obvious they hadn't had any idea about the hostage situation I'd been in. Maybe Trent had only sent the message to the member of G8. And Prussia most likely would've been informed by Germany… and he probably would've gone and talked to Spain and France (France already knowing of course) about it since they were the trio of friends. That was completely possible, but if it were the case I wasn't really sure.

Before I could even respond though, Russia walked in. He was holding, what looked to be, a basin of steaming water, some cloths were laid over on his shoulders. Lithuania immediately took the basin from him and instructed me to lie down as Estonia was handed the wash cloths, Latvia being instructed to go get some blankets. Russia excused himself again, claiming to be going to the phone to now make contact with the different nations.

As I lay Lithuania went to work, gently wiping away what dried blood he could. I wasn't in any condition to be going and taking a bath, with how weak I was there was little doubt that I could pass out and drown or become light headed and slip. This was the best we'd be able to do for now. Estonia gasped, lifting up on of the sleeves to my shirt and seeing the infected T on my arm. "What happened?" he asked quietly, Lithuania also gasping as he caught sight of the scar.

I looked away, wincing as Estonia pressed one of the dampened clothes against it to wipe away blood from it. "I… was with someone who wanted to make sure they wouldn't be forgotten…" I said, unsure of how else to word it aside from something along the lines of Trent being a psychotic bastard.

The two men blinked, looking unsure of how to respond. So they didn't. We all remained quiet until Latvia walked in with the blankets and spoke in a quivering whisper. "W-who did this to you?"

Lithuania and Estonia both shot a look at Latvia. Latvia flinched, seeming to realize that he'd been rude and insensitive to the mood by voicing his curiosity. But he hadn't been in the room to witness my discomfort on talking and thinking about what I'd just gotten away from. So he really couldn't be blamed. It showed concern that he asked, as had when Lithuania and Estonia had been trying to talk to me, so I really didn't have any feelings of offense by their gentle prying.

But I honestly had no idea how to even start to answer the question. All I really knew about Trent was that he had a lust for power and money; he was a horrible person; and that he'd been friends with Thomas.

Thomas! I shot up, hitting my head against Lithuania's. We both groaned, the contact hurting a fair amount. "S-sorry…" I said, rubbing my forehead.

"It's fine," Lithuania said, waving it off as he also rubbed the sore spot. "But what cause you to do that?"

I opened my mouth to answer but then realized they'd never met Thomas since they'd never come to see me at the hospital. And they didn't know that I'd been kidnapped so they wouldn't know of Trent shooting my doctor and… I wasn't really sure if I really wanted to call him a friend anymore. Thomas had betrayed my trust and had been helping Trent… but he had also tried to help when Trent had showed up and gotten shot for it.

Tears came to my eyes as I closed my mouth, unable to form any words to explain. The conflicted feelings were making it rather difficult to really even think straight. I'd put my trust in Thomas during our conversations… telling him about my life from before. About things I'd gone through both then and since I'd woken up in this world, of course I hadn't mentioned the part about the lives taking places in alternate realities or worlds or… whatever they were. And he'd been working for Trent the entire time.

All the hurt has disappeared when Trent had shot Thomas. I'd been to scared to feel hurt or angry about the whole thing. I'd been to scared for Thomas. Yes, I'd had plenty of fear for what was going to happen to me but at that point the only thing in my mind was Thomas. How he was lying in a growing pool of his own blood. He'd reached out his hand as Trent and I had disappeared. What if he'd died? What if he'd die trying to stop Trent.

My stomach flipped at the idea. I felt sick. Everything was spinning and my head was throbbing. My throat was tight and burning in an agonizing pain. I'd feel partial responsibility if Thomas was dead. Yes, he'd gotten involved on his own but if I'd just not talked to Trent in the first place… if I'd just stayed in the mall none of the shit that had happened would've happened.

None of the good stuff would've either though… but didn't erasing all the bad… at the very least erasing Thomas getting shot and possibly dying outweigh the good memories and friends I'd made? A life saved was definitely more important than any memories I liked. And, though I loved all the friends I'd made and would give anything for them I would rather be able to have Thomas live than have gotten the enjoyment of meeting the Hetalia characters, even if this world was supposed to be fictional.

Why was I even thinking like this though? It wasn't like I could actually go back and stop myself from experiencing all of this. And I didn't even know if Thomas had died or not. So thinking like this wasn't going to do any good. Even if I knew it wouldn't. That rationalization didn't help me any though, it only made me start to hyperventilate from the fear that Thomas might actually have died.

Lithuania grabbed onto me, attempting to calm me. "Miss Marissa, please calm down!" he said, his, Latvia, and Estonia's expressions looking panicked.

I did my best to comply and managed to get my breathing under control after a few minutes. I took deep breaths, lying back down beginning to calm down slightly. "I-I'm s-s-s-sorry…" I said, still dealing with some after affects of the panic attack.

Lithuania shook his head. "Don't apologize," he said, a light smile on his face.

"It's obvious you've been through something traumatic, it's only to be expected that you'd have somewhat of a breakdown sometime after it. Probably better to deal with it now rather than later," Estonia said in an attempt to add some logic to possibly make it sound more acceptable in my mind.

Lithuania dipped a fresh cloth in the water and wiped away some more dried blood, the water now soothingly cool. I sighed, the water on my skin feeling amazing. There was only a toilet in the bathroom I'd been using at Trent's and when he'd given me some water with my food I drank it, always having a headache and feeling parched from the loss of blood I'd been going through during all of this.

Russia came out and announced that the other nations were already on their way and would all be here by tomorrow. When tomorrow he didn't say but I was just happy I'd be able to see them. I looked a Russia with pleading eyes as I realized he'd been to the hospital once or twice and had met Thomas. "Thomas… i-is he…"

"The doctor boy? He'd recovering quite well at the hospital, he was the one who told us who had you. He actually gave us a good deal of information about the man who had you… Trent was it?"

Lithuania and Estonia looked towards the T on my arm as I nodded. I let out a great sigh of relief at the news. Thomas was okay. That was a huge weight off of my shoulders. I allowed myself to relax.

Russia spoke of some clean clothes he had that I could change into when I was finished getting cleaned up. And I did just that. I thanked Russia and went back to the couch and saw that Lithuania was still waiting there for me. He was a really nice guy, the kind who I could easily become really good friends with. I felt kind of bad for him, having a crush on Belarus and all. He could've easily found someone who would like him back and wasn't psychotic like Belarus was, but that was just his taste in girls I guess, that and he was probably the type of guy who got friend-zoned a lot.

"I thought you might not want to be left alone at the moment…" Lithuania explained, a slightly embarrassed smile on his lips.

Lithuania was completely correct on that assumption. I was very much against the idea of being alone right now. It actually terrified me to be honest. The thought of Trent somehow showing up and me being alone was a prominent thought in my mind right then. "Thank you," I said, sitting down, wrapping myself up in one of the blankets, and sneezing again.

Lithuania talked with me, allowing me to just rest my head against his shoulder and have the first normal conversation I'd been allowed in forever. Nothing about my time being held captive, how I'd escaped, or how I was forgetting things (which I wasn't anymore, that hade just been a rather large topic of conversation as of late). It was nice to just and talk about normal things like movies, music, books, food, and different things with someone until I fell asleep.


	41. Mochi

As I began to awake I found myself feeling out of breath, a definite lack of oxygen being the cause to my waking up. I couldn't breath. Air wasn't entering my lungs and I felt like I might pass out into unconsciousness again if the problem wasn't soon corrected.

My eyes snapped open as I began trying to figure out what had caused the predicament I was in. I began struggling, seeing that someone was holding me in a bone crushing hug. I couldn't see the face of the person but I needed them to know that I couldn't breath.

The hug came to a sudden stop, the person releasing me at the sudden realization my struggling had given them. I gasped for air, the oxygen immediately making me feel better despite the coughing fit I suddenly entered into. A cup of water was handed to me, someone talking to me worriedly. I took the cup and drank it gratefully, my coughing obscuring whatever the person was saying.

When I'd finally stopped coughing I looked up and saw who had been hugging me so tightly. I blinked, quickly engulfing said person in my own hug as tears started welling up in my eyes. I felt his arms wrap around me as well, one of his hands gently stroking my hair as some of the tears escaped. "It's okay," he said, feeling my body beginning to slightly tremble. Though I couldn't help but notice how shaky his voice was.

"I-I was so scared…" I whispered, my voice shaking as the feeling of safety the hug brought washed over me while all of the fears I'd been feeling threatened to spill out and voice themselves.

He nodded, his chin lightly resting on my head when he stopped. "I know…" he whispered, his voice quivering ever so slightly. "I was too."

I gripped his shirt even tighter, holding myself as closely against him as I possibly could. He gently laid me back down on the couch, lying himself down next to me and holding me just as tightly as I was holding him. It seemed like neither one of us had any intentions of letting go of each other anytime soon.

Soon his breathing evened out and his grip loosened ever so slightly, indicating that he'd fallen asleep. I allowed myself to relax into his embrace as I looked up. "I missed you so much…" I whispered, noticing the fresh tear stains on his own face. "Prussia…"

I'd never seen him cry. He'd been the one who was staying strong and comforting me all this time. Not once had he shed a tear in front of me when he'd been caring for and comforting me in the hospital. I'd just been through something horribly traumatic but… I couldn't let Prussia be the only one to be strong now. I had to stay strong and help him.

He'd already said that he'd been scared too. He may not of been the one in physical danger but he was the one who had had to sit and wait, unable to really do anything. That was emotionally harder than what I'd been dealing with. I had the ability to fight and try to get out, having a drive like being with everyone and living being my emotional staple. Prussia… his position was sit and wait, hope for the best. If I were in that position… if the roles had been reversed… I'd have been a wreck, no words of comfort would've been able to help me.

I gripped onto Prussia even tighter, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over. I wasn't going to put him through anymore of the torture he'd been through while I was losing my memories. I'd be the strong one this time, I owed him at least that much. For all he'd done for me… I'd never be able to thank him enough.

A small tweeting sound suddenly caught my attention. I glanced up and saw Gilbird sitting on Prussia's ear. I smiled at the small bird, quietly giggling as it hopped up and flew over to land on my cheek. I released my hold on Pussia so I could bring my hand up and stroke Gilbird. "So soft…" I murmured, snuggling into Prussia's hold and using my other hand to pull up the blanket that was still slightly covering me so that both Prussia and I would have the warmth it provided.

The idea of sleeping some more began overtaking me as I felt Pruissia slightly adjust, causing me to do the same. Gilbird chirped happily, slightly nudging me finger. I pet him a bit more before resting my hand against Prussia's chest, slowly falling asleep. The sound of someone walking in and two familiar chuckles managed to work their way into my subconscious as I drifted off.

"So cute… look she even has his little bird resting on her cheek~"

"Oui, it is good that he's finally found someone to look after other than himself and Germany."

"Si, and with everything that's been going on she's really needed the support."

Unable to really comprehend what they were saying with how sleepy I was becoming I mumbled for the owners of the voices to let me sleep. They chuckled again, one of them adjusting the blanket as the other spoke. "Plesent dreams, senorita. It's good to see that you're safe."

And with that I felt a hand lightly ruffle my hair as I feel asleep.

* * *

><p>I awoke much more calmly this time, finding myself still in Prussia's arms. My throat felt raw though, the pounding headache, congestion, and pain in my ears not helping. I was in full cold mode. I hid my head under the warmth of the blanket and made it so I had my face was hidden from any light the could make my headache worse.<p>

Gilbird, displeased with the sudden shift, hopped up and flew up onto Prussia's head. "Hmmm?"

Prussia shifted, causing the blanket to fall to the ground. I whimpered, the light hurting my eyes and head as I blinked and looked up at him. He looked back down at me with a look that held both confusion and worry. "What's wrong?" he asked, the misery of how I was feeling probably showing on my face.

"I don't feel good…" I said, my voice barely a whisper due to the pain even that was causing my throat.

Prussia frowned, feeling my forehead and nodding. "You have a fever," he said. "Russia said he found you out in the forest… and it's pretty cold out there. How long were you out there?"

I blinked, trying to not show the emotions that thinking of my escape brought up. I'd already decided to stay strong… I couldn't and wouldn't go back on that decision, no matter how difficult it was. "Long enough to fall asleep when it was pitch black and wake up a little while before Russia found me…" I managed to get out, my throat hurting more and more with each word.

Prussia sighed, nodding with an understanding expression. "How unawesome, I'd been hoping to take you somewhere… but we can't go and do that if you're sick," he said, the slightest bit of annoyance in his voice.

I frowned and snuggled against him as he got into a seated position. "I'm sorry…" I said, closing my eyes as I adjusted myself so I was in a more comfortable position.

"Don't apologize," Prussia said, taking my hand into his and lightly squeezing it. "It's not your fault, you were doing what you had to…"

I nodded, wincing as my scarred arm pressed against Prussia. A tiny moan escaped, the pain overpowering my willpower. I felt the sleeve to my borrowed shirt roll up as I got onto my side. Prussia gasped, lightly grabbing my arm. "What the hell is this!"

I winced, Prussia's voice had rose several decibels to voice his shock and anger at the sight of the scar. I was going to assume he hadn't seen the video then, or at least not all of it. "I-it's a scar…" I said quietly, not wanting to verbally recall my experiences with Trent.

Prussia let go of my arm and gripped the couch, his anger levels visibly rising. "I can see that, but how did you get it and what does it mean?" he asked, his voice strained in an attempt to control his anger.

I'd never seen Prussia become so angry. The only times I'd really seen him angry were whenever he was around Mayotte and Canary (which seemed to happen a good deal during the few months of somewhat calm life). And then there was the time when Britain and he had gotten into the fight over Britain thinking anything that had derived off of him was too good for 'someone like Prussia'. This though… I could practically see the anger rising in him. I didn't want to help in making the levels of his anger going any higher.

I quickly wrapped my arms around Prussia and took hold of one of his hands. "Please… don't get angry," I whispered, hoping to calm him. "I-it won't do anything to help… can't we just act like it all never happened?"

I went into another coughing fit, my coughs now sounding croupous. Prussia quickly untangled himself from my hug and stood up, his expression holding nothing more than pure, unadulterated anger. "Nein, we can't! It's that bastard's fault that your sick and that you had to go through all of… all of that shit!" he said as I sat up and looked at him with a pleading expression. "I can't just let that go and pretend it never happened!"

But wasn't it technically my fault too? I'd been the one to go along with what Trent had said when I'd first met him. I was the one who had decided to trust a total stranger out of the wish to meet fictional characters. Prussia didn't know that… I was too scared to tell him too. I was too scared to tell anyone… too afraid that they'd all think me a traitor.

I hadn't known Trent's true plans and he'd tricked me but… but I'd been keep the secret of them being fictional since I'd shown up. What if they thought I was a horrible person for keeping this secret… what if they didn't want me as a friend anymore? I'd still be a nation… but a nation hated by all the other nations… I couldn't handle that!

Tears filled my eyes, forcing me to have to really fight to not let them show their selves. "P-please Prussia…" I said, my voice shaking as tried to think of something other than the fears still weighing heavy in my mind.

The fragility in my voice must of triggered something in Prussia's mind because he took a deep breath, knelt down, and pulled me into another hug, this time lightly kissing my forehead. I blinked, surprised and happy to see that Prussia had seemingly calmed down.

The hug ended all too soon though. Prussia pulled away and stood back up. I looked at him, confused and worried about what was possibly going through his head. "I need to go talk to Spain and France for a bit…" he said.

I nodded, my expression wary to what he might need to talk them about. "It's nothing you need to worry about, trust me," Prussia said, seeing the slight worry in my eyes.

"Okay…" I said, Prussia walking out of the room and leaving me on my own.

With nothing to do but wait, I stood up and began searching around the house for someone who could show me where a bathroom might be so I could take a much needed bath. I quickly found Lithuania talking with Estonia. "Ah, Miss Marissa," Lithuania said with a friendly smile. "How're you?"

"I'm good," I said, smiling back at him and Estonia. "You really don't need to call me miss though…"

"Oh?" Lithuania asked, looking slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry, is there anything you need?"

I found it hard not to sweat drop. Lithuania was a country just like me and yet he was addressing me as if he were the hired help for the house. It was possible he was just very polite and apologetic… but it seemed more likely that, with the extent of it, he had gotten the habit out of his fear for Russia. "Y-you don't need to apologize," I said with a slight laugh. "But um… where's the bathroom? I'd like to take a bath if that'd be alright…"

Lithuania blushed slightly before nodding. "I'm sure that would be fine," he said as Estonia smiled and said he'd direct me to the nearest bathroom.

Estonia lead me to a bathroom, idly chatting about different things along the way. As we walked, me becoming slightly annoyed with how far away the bathroom was yet happy enough because Estonia was talking about different that were interesting enough, I suddenly noticed a little white creature in his pocket. I squinted, thinking it looked somewhat familiar. It peaked out looking at me with curiosity. It was mochi.

Estonia looked down, noticing the staring contest between the mochi and I. The mochi was looking at me with nothing more than curiosity while I was doing my best to spaz out and to keep my inner fan girl at bay. It was just so cute though! From the tuft of blond hair and blue eyes hiding behind glasses I easily identified it as America.

Estonia chuckled, easily catching onto my struggle to not just grab it and yell out how it was so cute. He pulled it out of his pocket and held it out for me to hold. I looked up, asking if it was alright. "Yea, go ahead," he said with a smile and nod.

I took the small creature from his hand and began fawning over it. "I'm sorry but… you're just too cute!" I cooed, unable to hide the girlyness that was hidden within me.

A laugh sounded from behind me. I looked and saw Spain looking at me with an amused smile, America and France also with him. I blushed, still holding and petting the mochi that was now nibbling on my thumb. "Never thought we'd actually get to see you willingly act so girly," Spain said, still laughing.

"Oui, it's quite a cute side of you though," France teased, causing me to blush even more.

I glared, daring America to join in on the teasing but he seemed to be too preoccupied with trying to not laugh. I sighed handing the mochi back to Estonia, the little creature whining to be pet more. Estonia sighed and pet it a bit before putting it back in his pocket. "Thank you for letting me hold it," I said with a smile.

Estonia nodded with a light smile. "No need for thanks, he seemed to like you. Anyway, the bathroom is right there."

I nodded, seeing the door he was pointing at and walking towards it. "Thank you so much!" I said, opening the door and going in before realizing something was off. I opened the door and walked over to Spain and France. "Where's Prussia? He said he was going to go talk to you two…"

Spain and France glanced each other, obviously knowing something I didn't. I glared at them, making it clear that I wanted an answer, and an honest one at that. "He… had to go do something," Spain said.

My eyes widened, Prussia wouldn't have gone off to look for Trent and the place I'd escaped from, would he? He had told me it was nothing I'd have to worry about, but this was easily something to worry about. He wouldn't have lied to go off and do something so stupid… would he? He could've easily gotten location details from Russia.

I looked between Spain and France, my eyes teary and filled with fear. "What did he have to do?" I asked pleadingly, suddenly very scared about the whereabouts and what Prussia may have been doing.

"It's nothing to worry about ma chérie," France said, causing me to worry even more.

That's what Prussia had told me and now France and Spain were obviously covering for him. "If it's nothing I have to worry about then why don't you just tell me what it is?" I asked, both of them glancing at each other worriedly.

"Senor Prussia just to go do something, you really don't need to worry senorita," Spain said, his tone conveying that there was more than what he was saying. "Now why don't you just go and take a nice warm bath. You've been through a lot recently, it will help you to relax. And the steam will help you with being sick."

"Not until you two tell me where Prussia's gone off to," I said, my voice shaking from the anxiety and fear they were causing me. "Please… where is he and what's he doing?"

France sighed, Spain frowning as they both looked at each other. "I'm sorry senorita… but we promised senor Prussia we wouldn't tell you…" Spain admitted causing my fear levels to rise even higher.

That idiot, he was actually going after Trent when I'd asked him to not to. Trent probably wouldn't think twice about killing Prussia if it came down to it. I'd have to go after him and stop him… it was the only thing I could do. It wasn't like I'd just sit around and wait for him to either get back or be found. I couldn't do that.

Sensing my decision Spain and France both grabbed one of my arms. I looked up at them questioningly. "What are you two doing?" I demanded, trying to get out of their grasps.

"He made us promise to not let you do anything stupid and or dangerous," France said, Spain nodding as if to confirmation.

I looked at them with disbelief. They couldn't stop me from going an looking for Prussia. I was an adult and could make my own decisions! If I wanted to go and stop Prussia from getting himself killed I had every right to. The glare I was giving them caused them to sigh. "I'm sorry senorita, but we're going to keep that promise. Even if it was a forced one."

"You can't do this!" I yelled, instantly regretting yelling from the pain that shot through my throat. I spoke again, my voice quieter and more hoarse but just as determined. "You can't do this! I can't just sit around and wait! Not when I know what he's trying to do!"

I struggled, suddenly being lifted off of the ground by the two men. They took me into the bathroom, set me down, and walked out, closing the door behind them. "Just take a bath and relax chica," Spain said, obviously sitting outside of the door so I couldn't attempt an escape. "It will help you feel better faster."

"Oui, and the sooner you feel better, the sooner you can go out have fun with all of us~" France said.

I glared at the door and walked over to it. I began trying to open the door, only to find that they'd locked it. They'd actually locked me into the bathroom. Why the hell would Russia have it set up to where you could lock someone into a bathroom? …I actually didn't want to think about why you'd have it so you could lock someone into a bathroom… sounded way too much like SAW for my liking.

I stomped over to the bathtub, turning it on so it would sound like I'd decided to cooperate with their insanity. As the tub drew I looked around, hoping to find some sort of way out of the bathroom. There was a window… but it was way to high for me to get to and I was on the third floor of a four story (including an attic) mansion. There was a vent on one of the walls… but it would be a really tight fit. But… if it was my only option… I'd have to do this Paint it White style. Hopefully I'd end up doing better than Italy, Japan, and Germany had… of course I wouldn't have a cat or two other people with me, so I had somewhat of an advantage.

I turned off the water and washed my hair, needing the disgustingness of the dried blood and dirt out of it. Once I'd done that grabbed a towel and dried it the best I could, then beginning to drain the tub. Hopefully that would cover up any sound I made trying to get into the vent.

I began pulling to get the cover off of the vent, only to fall from the cover easily sliding off. As the cover hit the ground it made a loud clanking sound. Shit. "Senorita, what's going on in there!" Spain called in, beginning to unlock the door.

I quickly hopped up and squeezed my way into the vent, managing to get in just as Spain opened the door. I began crawling through, pounding in my head beginning to really bother me. "_Ay, dios mio!_" Spain exclaimed as he ran in. "_France…_"

"_What is… sacrebleu!_" France exclaime, obviously seeing that I had made my way into the vent. "_She actually went into there!_"

The conversation faded as I made my way further into the dark tunnel. Now I just had to figure out I'd get outside the house through here. Then I'd just have to find Prussia, get him to go back to Russia's, and make sure he didn't try to go and find Trent again.

**Uber long chapter is super long :D But gah! The whole time I was writing the stuff with Prussia I was like, "People are gonna find this too mushy and stupid!" Dx I'm sorry if this is true but it was fun to write... the whole chapter was a blast and I just sorta... couldn't stop xP Hope nobody minds the... surprising size of this chapter xD Psh... who am I kidding... this could've been made into two chapters but I thought it worked well enough as one xD**

**France and Spain: *Slightly freaking out* Why are you doing this to us!**

**...To make the story more fun and exciting?**

**Spain: This isn't fun! This is stressful for us... you're just as troublesome as Romano was when he was little TTATT Nicer... but still just as troublesome...**

**Romano: Hey! Take that back you taco eating bastard! I'm not troublesome!**

***Pats Romano on the back* It's okay... he just found your brand of... affection? Sure... your brand of affection is just harder to get used to than others.**

**Romano: ...I have no affection for that bastard! What the crapola would make you think that! *Continues to rant***

**Oh dear... I think I've started something... *Tiptoes away and hides***


	42. Vents

As I crawled through the vents I began feeling hopelessly lost. This may have not been the best escape rout to pick considering I had no way of knowing which way would get me out. I could end up stuck with no means of escape. And the slight claustrophobia I had wasn't making the situation any better. But… I'd made my choice so I'd have to stick with it and hope for the best.

Left turn. Right turn. A sudden slide down that made me cry out in surprise. Left again. A fork in the path… right it was! A slight incline that took like five tries to get up. Another slide, this one more fun than the last since I'd seen it coming.

I heard something shift and a light breeze hit me. The metal around me began getting noticeably colder as I made my through. "Th-th-those b-ba-bastards!" I muttered, shivering.

They'd turned on the air-conditioner, probably hoping to drive me out of the vents. I had to stay strong though… keep going and actually find my way out. The sound of my teeth chattering was soon echoing around me, making the pounding in my head all the more prominent.

I soon saw something that made my heart leap with joy. A little stream of light not too far ahead. I was almost to an exit! I quickly made my way to it, wanting nothing more than to get out of the freezing temperatures I was being subjected to.

Pushing the cover off, I scrambled out and looked around. I was in a hallway. That was a start… at least I wasn't stuck in the ventilation system or locked in a room anymore. I quietly slid the cover back on the vent, hoping to make it so nobody would be able to tell I'd been here should the pass by.

Now that I was out of the maze that was Russia's ventilation system, it was time for the second maze… Russia actual house. I walked down the hall, the area I'd come out of being a dead end. I soon found a staircase. That was progress, I'd at least be down one floor.

I made my way down the stair case and quickly saw that there was a window by the bottom of it. I looked out and was pleased to see that I was now on the first floor. I knew the way to the front from the first floor staircase so I was doing a whole lot better than I'd thought I'd do in this endeavor.

Quietly, I walked towards where the front door was. I readied myself to turn the corner that lead to the entrance of the room but suddenly found someone wrap their arm around my waist and cover my mouth. I cried out, beginning to struggle and freak out that Trent had somehow found me. "Shhh!" the person said. "I'm trying to help you!"

That voice, I'd have recognized it anywhere. I looked and saw that America was grinning down at me. I shot him a look and took his hand off of my mouth but allowed myself to stay in his hold. "What the hell man! You scared me half to death!" I whispered, glaring slightly yet holding a look of relief from the fact that he was claiming to be on my side.

America laughed. "Well if I had just come up to you, you would've bolted. And if I'd just tapped on your shoulder you probably would've made a lot more noise which would've made everyone come running!" he whispered, looking amused. "Plus it was pretty funny!"

My glare intensified and I got down to business. "You said that you're trying to help me…" I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yea! I'm all for helping you track down Prussia! I am the hero after all~"

I blinked. He was offering to help me look for Prussia. That could end up putting him in a good deal of danger as well. I didn't want that… but I also didn't want to chance running into Trent alone. If I had a nation with me he might be less likely to confront me. I had to let America know about the dangers first though. "You do realize this could end up being really dangerous… right?" I asked, pulling away and staring him in the eye.

"Yea," America said with a grin. "But that's alright, I am the hero after all!"

"America…" I said, my expression softening slightly as I glanced away. "This isn't something to joke about… if we run into that guy… h-he…"

America lifted my chin up, placed a finger over my mouth, and smiled. "You don't have to say anymore," he said. "I'm the hero and I'll be fine. But I can't allow you to go off on your own. And it's obvious you aren't going to rest or just sit around. You have a hero side to you too and who am I to deny you of that?"

I blinked, surprised by how serious America sounded. I'd never heard him done a tone like this. It was kind of weird to be honest. But I wouldn't argue him after what he'd just said, despite the fact I wasn't trying to play hero. I was just trying to keep Prussia from getting himself killed. But America could think whatever made him happy.

"Okay, if you're sure," I said, a slight reluctance in my nod. "And aware of the dangers you, as the hero, are possibly walking into."

America grinned and nodded. "Shall we?" he teased, motioning towards the door.

"We shall," I said, nodding and giggling a bit.

We quickly made our way out the door and toward the forest. I soon found it to be rather chilly and wished I had some sort of coat. The clothes Russia had lent me were exceedingly large on me, as was to be expected. But even with this, the shirt wasn't very warm and my jeans, seeing as pants that were too large for me would've just fallen off, weren't helping at all either. I shivered, rubbing my arms in an attempt to stay warm.

Something radiating warmth was suddenly placed over my shoulders. I looked and saw that America's aviator jacket was now on me. I looked up at him. "You don't have to… you'll get cold…" I said, a slight blush on my face.

A guy had never put their jacket on me. You'd think having gotten used to cuddling with Prussia would've made it so I wouldn't get embarrassed by something like this, but I still found this sort of stuff to be foreign and awkward, sweet but awkward all the same.

America waved his hand, as if telling me not to worry about it. "I'll be fine. You're the one who's sick and has wet hair."

"Th-thank you…" I said, my blush intensifying as I slipped my arms into the jacket. "That's really considerate of you…"

America smiled and laughed slightly. "Don't worry about it, it's the least a hero such as myself can do!"

I smiled, America really did like to think of himself as a hero. It may come off as obnoxious to some. But I found it kind of admirable. At least he had a sense of who was, or at least who he wanted to be. A lot of people didn't have that. A lot of people just stumbled through life, having no idea who they were and what they were capable. America had dreams and aspirations of who he wanted to be as a person. That was cool.

We reached the forest, walking in where I thought Russia had brought me out. "So… how're you planning on finding Prussia in a forest this big?" America asked, glancing around.

"Just look I suppose… that really all we can do," I said, sneezing and glancing around nervously.

"Sounds good," America said. "Sounds like an adventure."

I nodding, laughing slightly. We set off, walking through the forest in search of Prussia. After a few hours of searching I felt my worry spike. What if we couldn't find Prussia? And what if we ended up getting lost and unable to find our way out? It wouldn't do us any good to try to get Prussia to go back with us Russia's if we couldn't even find Russia's house.

I began feeling tired and by the look on America's face he had lost the excitement and vigor he'd had about this at the beginning. But there was still a small smile on his face, at least he was happy to be here.

"America," I said trying to start up another one of the on and off conversations we'd been having throughout this 'walk'.

"Yea?" he asked, glancing with a light smile.

"What would you do if you had a choice?" I asked, causing him to give me a confused expression. "Like a really big choice… one that could completely change your life."

"Well, what's the choice?"

"Say… you were somewhere with a lot of people that you liked a lot… like an extended family of sorts," I said, keeping my eyes on the snowy floor. "But you've only known them for like… say a year or so."

"Okay…"

"And you had the choice to stay there… but if you stayed there you couldn't see all of your old friends ever again… you couldn't see your biological family again either…"

America frowned. "I suppose I'd go and see my family and old friends again. They've been there since the beginning haven't they? And there's nothing to say you can't your new friends again, is there?"

"What if you wouldn't be able to see the new friends again… it's one or the other…"

"Hmmm… I suppose it really depends. I'd say I'd choose whichever group made me happier… if you're happier with the new group then picking them would be the best choice. But if you think you'd be happier being with your biological family and old friends… then pick them."

"What if you don't know who you'd be happier with?"

"Sheesh… way to make it difficult," America laughed.

I stayed silent, wanting to hear his answer. If I managed to find a way back to my world… then that was my choice. I had to assume that I'd never see the characters of Hetalia again if I went home. I was undoubtedly happy here with everyone… despite the stuff going on. But I also really missed my family and friends. It seemed like a crappy choice to me.

"Well…" America said, trying to think of his answer.

I suddenly saw some walking around through the foliage. "Wait…" I said.

"Wha-" America asked, looking confused as I shushed him.

I tiptoed over to a tree and peaked through it's branches. A pair of, undeniably familiar, red eye looked back. I glared at them, suddenly feeling very annoyed. "You asshole!" I yelled, ignoring the pain in my throat.

I stomped around the tree, still glaring at the shocked man in front of me. America followed close behind me, finally catching sight of Prussia. "Wha-what're you even doing here!" Prussia asked. "You're sick and should be resting! Besides, France and Spain said they'd make sure you would stay at Russia's!"

My glare intensified. "You said I had nothing to worry about! This is what you call nothing!"

Prussia stammered, looking to America for help. I shot America a look causing him to raise his hands in defense, as if to show that he was staying out of it. "You're coming back to Russia's with us," I said, the authority in my voice causing Prussia to look at me with a dumbfounded expression. "You will not go looking for a situation that could end up with you dead. I won't have it."

Prussia crossed his arms, finally seeming to come out of his state of shock. "No."

I crossed my eyes right back, intensifying my glare as I felt my aggravation rise. "No?" I asked.

"That's right, I'm going to find that bastard and make him pay for what he put you through!" Prussia said.

"No you aren't! You aren't going to go and get yourself killed!" I shouted. "I got away on my own so I'd be away from him and we could all just try to move on! Not so you could go and try to kick his ass!"

"Well I'm going to anyway!" Prussia shouted right back.

I twitched, trying to gain control of my temper. "You're impossible," I huffed, looking to America for help.

It was Prussia's turn to shoot America the look that caused him to raise his hands to show his neutrality on subject. I brought my glare back onto Prussia, wishing I could think of something that would get him to just see reason and come back to Russia's with America and I. "Well, so are you," Prussia huffed.

"Just come back with us," I sighed.

Prussia turned and began walking in the opposite direction than we'd come. "No, like I said, the awesome me is going to find that bastard and kick his ass."

"Hold the fuck up!" I yelled, causing both Prussia and America to look at me with surprise. "You may be awesome but that doesn't make you fucking invincible! He has a gun! He can do some sort of magic! He wouldn't think twice about killing you, I'm sure! I'm not going to allow you to walk into that!"

Prussia blinked, slightly looking away. Had I finally gotten through to him? Was he actually going to listen to me and come back? I stepped towards him, reaching out to take his hand. As I got closer a bang suddenly rang out, a thud echoing after it.


	43. Struggle

I looked back at America and saw that he was now slumped against a tree, blood pooling around him from one of his legs. I began running towards him, feeling as if the small distance had somehow doubled. Another bang sounded and Prussia's hand slipped from my grip. I looked towards him and saw that he was crouching on the ground, holding his shoulder. One more bang, leaving a new wound in one of Prussia's leg.

I felt my breath catch as I tumbled backwards, Trent appearing from behind a cluster of trees. I scrambled to get up, to get closer to Prussia or America. Trent smirked, walking closer and pointing his gun towards Prussia's head. "No!" I screamed, managing to get over to get in between the gun and Prussia.

Trent laughed, pressing the gun against my forehead. "You're willing to take the bullet for him?" he asked, leering as he readied the gun to shoot. "What about him?"

Trent began walking over towards America, pointing the gun at his head.. I panicked. He already had the gun ready to shoot and I know he wouldn't think twice about it. I couldn't block both Prussia and America. The would be physically impossible. But I had to something.

The first thing that came to mind was what I did. I quickly thrust myself at Trent, making him tumble to the ground and end up underneath me. A bang sounded and America yelled out in pain. I looked and saw that he was holding his arm, right where his humorous was. At least it wasn't fatal, at least I prevented the bullet from hitting his head.

I turned my attention back to Trent, who was looking quite pissed. I had to get that gun away from him though. A struggle for the gun began, Trent having the advantage from already having it in his possession. I felt the gun hit my head, causing me to go into a slight daze. Trent threw me off of him and quickly got on top of me, smirking as he brought his head down towards me and pressed the gun against my temple. I brought my head up, hitting his forehead with enough force to leave the both of us dazed. I managed to push him off of me as I began leaving my daze though, grabbing the gun and beginning a game of tug-o-war for it.

"You think you stand a chance against me!" Trent yelled, giving me a swift kick in the stomach.

I coughed, my breath catching in my throat as small specks of red entered my vision and a bit more of my blood began dribbling out of my mouth. My grip on the gun faltered and I felt the weapon slip out of my grasp. I wasn't going to give up though. I couldn't. It wasn't just my life on the line anymore, it was Prussia and America's as well and I wouldn't let Trent hurt them anymore than he already had.

Trent and I began tumbling down a good sized hill, me having launched myself at him. When we'd stopped rolling I spotted the gun. It had slipped out of Trent's hold and was lying just a little more than midway up the hill. I quickly scrambled towards it, knowing that this was my chance. Almost there, so close. My fingers lightly brushed against the gun as my left leg was grabbed. I grasped for the gun as I fell to the ground but found that it just out of reach.

Trent began pulling me further away from the gun, pushing himself closer as he did so. "No!" I screamed, tears welling in my eyes.

I'd been so close, I'd felt it brush against my fingers. This wasn't right! It had been mine… but Trent had gotten to me just before I could grab it. I turned and began trying to kick and push Trent away from the gun. Even if I couldn't get it at this point I couldn't let him get it back. The two of us tumbled down the hill again, this time ending with me under Trent.

He quickly sat down atop me, using his legs to keep my harms pinned down. He sneered down at me, pulling his knife out of the pocket of his jacket. How it hadn't fallen out during out struggle, I wasn't sure. He played with the knife, making a light glint off of it and into my eyes. "You really are too much trouble for your own good Rissy," he said, putting the tip of the knife under my chin. "You should've done like you were told and just stayed at Russia's. At least you and America wouldn't be in this situation if you had…"

I struggled to get out from under Trent, feeling a small trickle of blood go down my neck from the force Trent was adding behind the knife. I glared, unable to escape. I had to hope Prussia and America were doing their best to escape now… if nothing else at least they could escape. "You're a bastard, you know that?" I spat, another coughing fit take over.

"Ooooh, did you get sick during your little camping adventure?" Trent cooed, taunting me with his feigned sympathy. "Maybe you should've just been a good little girl and stayed with me then."

I struggled more, his taunts causing my anger to rise. When my attempts got me nowhere I resigned to intensify my glare. Trent laughed, taking the knife and gently ran it down my cheek, as if caressing it. "Are you trying to scared me with that glare?" he asked as I felt blood lightly trickle down my cheek. "Because if you are, then you're failing miserably. All it doing is making you look like a pathetic puppy that trying to protect its bone~

"Now… how about you just come back with me and cooperate while I get what your friends agreed to give me for your return. I am your only ticket home after all. If you just cooperate I can easily send you home. You'll get to see your family again. All of your old friends. You'll get to live a normal life again, no more having to deal with being a country anymore… wouldn't you like that?"

Tears filled my eyes as I took in his words. I could go home and live normally again. I'd get to be with my friends and family again. Words couldn't describe how much I wanted that. But to get it at this type of price? It seemed wrong. "Yes… I would like that," I said, Trent smirking at my words. "But I'm not going to get it by helping you!"

Trent's smirk immediately turned into a sneer as he scoffed at me. "You really think you have the choice at this point! You lost the ability to have a choice in the matter when you took the coin from me! Even if you hadn't put it under your pillow you would've still ended up here! Just allowing me to give you that stupid coin sealed your fate!"

My eyes were wide with terror as Trent stood up, roughly pulling me up with him. When he went to get the gun it wasn't there though. "Hey asshole, ever heard of second amendment rights?"

Trent spun around. I grinned, seeing America being supported by Japan, Prussia by Germany with the other G8 nations and Spain standing not far behind. America was holding his own gun while the gun Trent and I had been fighting over was being held by Germany.

Trent laughed, pushing me towards them. I stumbled forward, being caught by Italy. Looking back at Trent he had his hands up as if surrendering. But he couldn't have been giving up so easily. He had to still have something up his sleeve. Cue the chanting. Britain immediately recognized what he was doing. "Hey! How do you even know that spell! It's only in a classified book of mine!"

So Trent really had stolen one of Britain's spell books. A bright light suddenly flashed and Trent was gone. This wasn't over… there was no way it would be. I didn't see any possibility of it ever being over unless someone actually managed to catch Trent. And that would be a pretty difficult feat with the magic he had. "So…" I said, managing to look up at the different nations with a weak smile. "When did you all show up?"

And then exhaustion and sudden drop of adrenalin took over. Before anyone could even respond I was unconscious.

When I woke up I got to hear the story of how the nations had found us. Spain and France had rushed off to try to find where America and I had gone off to. Along the way Spain received a call from Romano, asking where he and France were. Spain had explained the situation which had gotten the other nations to head into the forest as they arrived. By the time they'd all found each other, cell phones having a played a huge part of that, they had heard Prussia and I yelling at each other.

When they'd made it to where we were, Trent and I had already gone tumbling down the hill. Japan had silently slid down the hill, being the stealthy ninja that he is, grabbed the gun, and managed to get back up to the top of the hill without Trent and I noticing him. The countries had then proceeded to sneak around the hill, hoping to catch Trent by surprise. And they had definitely succeeded in that endeavor.

"And then I, the hero, was all like, 'Hey asshole, ever heard of second amendment rights?'" America said proudly, obviously finding his line to be kickass and witty. "Cause you know, the second amendment is to bear arms and I never leave home without my gun!"

I laughed. "That's great America," I said, trying to not guiltily eye the crutches and bandages he was sporting.

"Now that that story is over… I need to ask you something," Germany said, his tone holding only seriousness to it. "What that boy said… something about being able to help you get home. And he mentioned a coin, what was he talking about?"

"Ve~" Italy said with a carefree smile. "I've been wondering about that too."

"As have I," Japan said with a thoughtful expression. "He said your fate was sealed just by letting him give a coin…"

I looked away, feeling nervous. It wasn't like I could get around answering their questions… I'd have to let them know… have to tell them about the secret I'd been keeping for just over a year now. They deserved to know anyway… it was just their reactions I was scared of now. But… hopefully they wouldn't be angry with me… hopefully they'd understand.

**Hmmm... I'm gonna ask for a little bit of help on this one... I'm having trouble deciding how the countries should react. I dunno, this is something I've been dreading writing since the beginning of the story because I don't know how to make them react. And it's not like the meeting where I can just do a time skip. So if you have any input on how it should go, I'd be very appreciative for it ^.^**


	44. Confessions

I explained to the nations how where I was from they were nothing more than characters in web series of comics, manga, and anime series. I said that I'd been a major fan of the series. I told them what Trent had meant when he'd been talking about a coin and how he could help me get home. I told them how I'd apparently come to appear in this world. "But… apparently weather I put the coin under my pillow didn't matter whatsoever. Trent said that my fate was sealed as soon as I accepted the coin. I take that as I would've ended up here either way…" I said, looking at the group of nations with a nervous expression.

They were all staring at me, none of them uttering a word. Romano finally broke the silence. "So you've been lying to us this entire time, eh bastard?" he asked, sounding rather pissed off.

"It would seem that way," Germany said, looking pretty displeased himself.

I winced at their words trying to explain myself. "I'm sorry but… what would you have done in my position? I randomly appeared in a world that was supposed to be fictional. I had no idea how it had had happened at the time. Would you have really even believed me?"

"Whether we would've believed you or not isn't the point," Germany said. "You lied to us. For all we know now, you could be lying right now. You could've known what Trent was planning all this time."

I gaped at Germany, shocked by what he was saying. Was he really serious? I hadn't even known about Trent when I showed up. I'd been lied to so much by Trent. He'd been twisting and manipulating my memories for so long now. He'd taken so many of my memories… put me through so much hell. "I can assure you, I'm not working with him! He was a complete stranger to me when he gave me the coin! He tricked me and has been torturing me this entire time!"

"What do you mean 'this entire time'?" Prussia asked, his expression unreadable for me.

I blinked. Crap. I'd never told them about the whole thing with me passing out and seeing Trent every so often. And then there was the fact that I'd gone off on my own when we were at Disney World and found Trent. Geez… the secrets really weren't going to help my case.

"Well… back when you and Britain had your fight in front of the hotel…" I said, trying to think of how to word it. "You know how I passed out? Well, when I was unconscious… I saw him. It happen some other times too… I had no idea who he was and didn't want to worry anyone. And when I felt the need to confront him, which was really stupid thing to do, I ended up getting kidnapped. That was when we were at Disney…"

I went on to tell them what had happened in-between then and when they'd found me in the bathroom. "So how do we know you weren't lying about forgetting everything?" Romano questioned.

"You really think that was an act?" I asked, feeling more and more hurt by the accusations they were throwing at me. They had every right to be angry with me and have the questions with the secrets I'd been keeping. But I was beginning to feel as if they thought everything I'd portrayed myself to be was a lie. That the whole year had been a lie. "It wasn't… that was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever been through. I didn't even remember the other world."

"And why should we believe you?" Romano spat back.

"I don't think she's lying Romano," Spain said, though there was a tone of hurt in his voice. "I don't think anyone could've acted the way she did during all that time if it wasn't real."

"No… she's not lying," Prussia said, his expression looking hurt from the memories going through his head. "You can't fake waking up screaming like that… you can't fake that level of depression…"

"Then explain how you remember now," Romano said, glaring at me suspiciously.

I could tell that the other countries were just as interest to know this as well. They probably all doubted my words. I couldn't blame them either. My story didn't sound to realistic or believable. But it was the truth… so I'd just have to keep telling them the truth and hope they'd eventually believe it and trust me. And… not be pissed at me anymore. "Trent showed up at the hospital… restored the memories with his magic. Revealed that me losing them in the first place was his and Thomas's doing."

"Thomas? As in the doctor?" Germany asked incredulously. "He provided us with so much information on who had you and now your saying he was helping him?"

"How do you think he knew everything he told you? They were friends… Thomas had been sneaking something into my food or IV… which I'm not sure… that was making me forget everything. But he stopped… he tried to help me when Trent showed up."

Romano glared, obviously not wanting to believe me. "What about this time?" Britain asked, his expression just as unreadable as Prussia's. "That boy said that you could just cooperate with him if you wanted to get home, I mean."

"Hey yea…" America said, as if suddenly remembering something. "That question you asked me back in the forest… you had that choice just didn't you? But you just gave up going back to your family and old friends…"

"Question?" Japan said. "What question are you referring to America-san?"

"She asked me if I had the choice to stay with a group of new friends… really good friends like a second family, right?" America started, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded, playing with my hands. "Or going home to my biological family and old friends which I would choose. But either choice would eliminate ever getting to see the group in the choice again."

"And he offered you the chance to go back to your family and old friends…" Canada whispered, me nodding.

"I-I really don't want to go into what went down before Russia found me… but, I'd never go back that way if I chose to go back. I'd never work with him or do something to betray any of you like that. Whether you choose to believe me or not is up to you…"

"Ve~" Italy said lightheartedly. "I believe you! I think it's kind of cool you're from another world! Especially if it's one where there's stories about us!"

"You're an idiot fratello!" Romano said angrily. "For all we know she could still be lying! She's already admitted to lying to us for the past year!"

Prussia stood up suddenly, leaving the room. I felt as if I'd been stabbed in the heart. The pain of him leaving… turning his back out of disbelief of me was unbearable. Spain followed after him, a look of hurt on his face only adding to the pain and guilt I felt. Britain went not long after.

Three of the closest people to me… they had every right to be hurt and mad at me for the secrets I'd kept. That didn't make it any less painful though. Romano stomped out, muttering about lying bastards. Germany left as well, still looking annoyed from finding out about the withheld information, probably going to look for Prussia.

Soon the only ones left were Canada, Russia, Italy, Japan, and America. France had left, telling me he wasn't angry but he was going to go find Prussia and Spain. He had also told me that he found the idea of another world where he was fictional character a terribly sad yet intriguing idea. His explanation being it would be terribly sad for people to not be able to have the opportunity to have his style of love. And yet fictional characters tended to have fans so he probably had a multitude of fan girls. The he ran off in search of his two friends.

Italy had already said that he wasn't angry with me. Japan… well he wasn't really talking, more muttering about how they were all characters in a manga and anime somewhere. He honestly didn't seem to be too displeased with idea of being part of that. Russia said that another world just meant more people to become one with Mother Russia, offering up the option to me again.

America was upset I hadn't been completely honest with them but believed me in that I hadn't know of Trent's plans and that I wouldn't betray them. He said that I had given up the opportunity to go home so he couldn't not believe me. Canada also said that me having given up the opportunity to go home was more than enough to prove myself.

I huddled up on couch I was on, suddenly realizing that I was still in America's jacket. I slipped it off and held it out for America. "Thank you for letting me borrow it," I said quietly, the gratefulness still evident despite the volume.

He laughed and took the coat. "It's no problem. You actually kept it from getting any holes in it so it was really good thing you had it!" he joked, though the joke caused tears to enter my eyes.

"I'm so sorry…" I said. "It's my fault you and Prussia got hurt in the first place… if I hadn't taken the stupid coin…"

My bottom lip quivered, my face heating up as I finally voiced the guilt that had been eating away at me. It felt somewhat good to finally say it to someone. But it didn't help the guilt to go away. The guilt was deserved… it was my fault for taking the coin.

"Don't blame yourself," America said. "You had no way of knowing. And you warned me that it would be dangerous. It was my choice to go."

I shook my head. "Doesn't matter… it still boils down to me being taking the coin…" I said, a tear escaping. "And now a bunch of people hate me because of it."

"They'll come around," Canada said gently, moving to sit beside me. "Just give them a little bit of time. It's a lot to take in."

"N-no… th-they all hate me and who am I to blame them? They have every right to… I kept all this stuff a secret from all you for so long…"

Italy quickly ran over, wrapping his arms around me in a comforting hug. "Don't be sad!" he said. "Romano gets angry about everything, he'll forgive you if you just give him some time. And Germany will forgive you as long as you beg for mercy and promise to not lie ever again~"

Beg for mercy? Well this was Italy talking. But, as much as I wanted those two to forgive me, the ones I was really worried about were Prussia, Spain, and Britain. Britain was the closest thing I had to family here… and seeing as I gave up my ticket home he was the closes thing I had to family period. Spain was honestly my best friend here… I didn't want to lose that. And Prussia… I really loved him. I couldn't bear to think of losing any of them. But whether they chose to believe and forgive me wasn't up to me. I could talk to them, sure, but that could end up making things worse. I had to let them think about it and make their own decision.

**The emotions! They be running so high now O.O Yay for being able to write this! I have to thank those who reviewed with advice last chapter :) Spainbow Dash (I love that name by the way, it's awesome!) and Random Citizen. It really helped with this chapter ^.^ So... thank you!**

**And hey! All the chapters have titles now!**


	45. Stories

It'd been a week since I'd fessed up to being from a different world or reality or whatever. Out of fear from Trent still being on the loose I was staying with America. Canada was over almost constantly, keeping me company since America had to go do different things now and then. Japan and Italy had stopped by a few times as well, Italy bring Romano and Germany at one point to try to patch things up between us.

Romano was still pissed at me but he said that he believed me and didn't hate me, at least not as much as Spain. It was something at least. When I asked Romano about how Spain was doing, not having received any type of communication from him during the week, his only response about it was grunt and mumbled, "He's okay I suppose."

Germany talked to me entirely too formally now, treating the conversation as if it were a meeting. It hurt for him to be so cold towards me… he'd been one of the first countries to show any type of concern for my well being. Now… now he acted as if I were someone he was just tolerating. I didn't even dare ask about Prussia… I couldn't handle hearing anything about him being upset with me.

Britain, Prussia, and Spain all seemed to be doing their best to stay away from me. I hadn't heard anything from any of them since they'd walked out on my confessional. They'd all taken a different car than me when we were leaving. It was killing me. I didn't know what I was going to do if I didn't hear from at least one of them at some point soon. Canada kept telling me that I just needed to give them more time. America however… his only words of advice were, "Screw them, especially that Britain bastard."

I needed someone who didn't feel any hurt from my actions to talk to. Someone who wasn't biased like America was. Canada was the closest thing I really had at this point but I felt bad for venting to him about it when he was one of the ones I'd lied to. So I did the only thing I could do about it.

I'd given Thomas a call, having gotten the number from America who had it on hand from when Thomas had been giving them information about Trent. Thomas was out of the hospital but still had some leave time to fully recuperate. So he'd eagerly agreed to meet up with me, wanting an excuse to get out of the house anyway.

I was standing in front of a Starbucks, knowing Thomas would be waiting for me inside. I honestly felt a bit nervous to be meeting up with him. I told Canada what I was doing, to which I'd been told to be careful but have fun. America was talking to his boss about something (my boss never really conversed with me… fully willing to do all of the paperwork and legal stuff on his own, he was a pretty cool and nice guy) but he'd given me a ride to the street I needed to get to on his way to the meeting. So they both knew what I was doing in case I needed to get in touch with them. But… I was still nervous to what it would be like seeing him again for the first time since… well since I'd found out.

I took a deep breath and opened the door, walking in and looking around. I immediately spotted him, his hair looking as though he'd re-dyed it recently. It was weird not to see him in scrubs though. He was in jeans and a tight fitting, black shirt, the shirt having the name of a band I wasn't familiar with. It looked good on him… it was just really weird to see.

He looked to be reading something, a coffee sitting on the table he was at. Looking at him this way, you never would've guessed he was a doctor. He looked like a kid, fresh out of high school or just barely entering college. Not some super genius who had become a doctor by the age of eighteen. Only if you knew him or had been one of his patients would you have known that he was an awkward, nerdy, brainiac.

I walked over to his table and sat down, him looking up and grinning cautiously at me as he noticed me. I smiled back, attempting to push past the awkwardness and wariness I was feeling about the situation. Thomas had tried to help me… given the nations information about Trent in order to try to help me. I could trust him… or at least I should've been able to, but there was still the lingering doubt in my mind. I'd just try to ignore it.

"Hey," I said quietly, unsure of how I was supposed to act around him.

"Hi," Thomas said, his tone gentle and cautious. He was obviously feeling just as awkward as I was, possibly more from what his tone was conveying. "I-I know this is probably a horrible conversation starter but… I'm really sorry. I can't apologize enough," he said, holding his hands up to keep me from responding until he'd finished. "What I did, it wasn't right at all. He had said it would all be for the best, that it would end with everything being better… he lied to me and I was too stupid to see it…"

"It's okay…" I whispered, suddenly feeling the awkwardness fade away and turn to a feeling of knowing. "He lied to me too…"

"But you didn't even know him, you probably thought he wasn't all mentally there or something when he gave you the coin. And all the other lies, you had no way of telling that they were fake…"

"So you know about the coin? And where I'm from?" I asked, trying my best to not cry.

"Yea, you could say I know of it… truth is I'm originally from it. Trent too."

"What?"

"Trent and I are originally from, what I like to call, the other side. When were younger, thirteen or so, we went exploring in a cave and found a box in it. The box had the coins in it. When we showed up on this side we found another box of the coins. So we went back and studied the coins, trying to figure out what made them do what they do. I, as you know, am really into magic, Trent was... hell he still is… well anyway, he's got this thing for magic. So, with a combined effort, we figured out how to make more coins as we needed them.

"Eventually, I got tired of going back and forth so I decided to stay here, having studied a lot here and managing to make a slight name for myself in the medical field. I was already emancipated and long since out of high school so I told my family I was taking a job overseas and that I'd see them again at some point… that was about three years ago."

"And what about Trent?" I whispered.

"Well… he didn't exactly like how things were going in this side for him. The power of being able to go back and forth kind of went to his head… and he was going back and forth so much that I guess it's possible that an after affect of some sort could of messed him up in some way. So he wanted more powers.

"He showed up at my apartment on day with a book, saying he had the power to make the world a better place. So he told me that he just had to find someone that would come over without asking any questions. Finding you was purely by chance…"

I blinked, looking down as I tried to process the story Thomas had just told me. "How did he manage to make me into a country?"

"Like I said, Trent's always had a thing for magic. And the country you represent was already trying to become independent… so Trent gave it the little push it needed and made it so you would be the person to represent it."

I nodded, understanding what Thomas was saying well enough. The only thing that was really sticking in my mind was the fact that Thomas could make the coins. That meant I had a chance to get home. And with the mess I seemed to have made between myself and so many of my friends, it might be for the best if I did go home.

But I was country now… what would that mean when I got home? Would I be a normal person again or would there be something different about me? Would people be able to sense that I wasn't like them? And what would I tell my friends and family? They hadn't seen me in a year… they probably though I was dead. How was I suppose to explain just showing back up?

"So… what are you thinking about?" Thomas asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him, not having really realized that I'd even begun looking down at my hands as I fiddled with them. "How it would probably be better for everyone if I go back…" I responded, my voice shaking slightly as I did my best to not cry from the thought of not seeing any of my new friends again.

Thomas furrowed his brows, looking at me with a confused expression. "How do you figure that? The other nations obviously care for you very much. They'd probably all miss you a lot if you left. And what about Prussia? Aren't you and he dating?"

I gulped, my face heating up as I began finding it increasingly harder to not cry. "I-I don't know anymore… I've messed up so much with them. I'm pretty sure some of them hate me now… some others are talking to me but they're still really angry with me…" I said, looking back down.

"What happened?"

"I… I told them about where we're from… about the coin Trent gave me… a-about everything!"

People were beginning to stare as my voice slowly grew more and more hysterical. Thomas glanced around, obviously becoming uncomfortable with the stares. He stood up, walking around the table before kneeling down and gently taking my hand. "Hey… how about we go talk about this somewhere else? My apartment is right only a block or so from here and there won't be a bunch of people around. You can talk to me about whatever you want when we get there," he said, his voice gentle and sympathetic.

I nodded, figuring that if I ended up breaking down, which I most likely would at this rate, a secluded place like that would be better to do so rather than in the middle of a Starbucks. Thomas stood up, keeping my hand in his and helped me up. He led me out of the Starbucks and to his apartment, keeping a reassuring and comforting hold on my hand.

"Here we are," he said, unlocking the door. Thomas led me to a couch, sitting me down and taking a seat next to me "So what happened? And… it's okay to cry if you have to. It's healthier to just let it out than to let it out than to keep it all bottled up."

I shook my head, a few of the tears managing to escape as my body trembled slightly. "N-no… I-I have to b-be strong. I-I pr-promised myself I-I'd be th-the strong o-one this t-time!"

Thomas gave me a saddened smile. "True strength would be to be yourself. What you're doing isn't that. Your trying to hide your emotions, which you don't seem like the type to do."

"I-I can't let myself cr-cry though! Pr-Prussia was with me all th-that time in the ho-hospital and he di-didn't cry!"

"You don't really think that do you? You may not have seen it, but he definitely cried. When you were forgetting things. During the first week when you weren't waking up. Especially when you were screaming in your sleep."

I flashed back to what Prussia had said when I'd been confessing where I'd come from to them. "You can't fake waking up screaming like that…"

I completely lost it. Tears began streaming down my face as I sobbed, falling over and latching onto Thomas. He stiffened slightly but wrapped his arms around me, obviously not used to the type of interaction.

As I cried I managed to tell him all about what happened when I told the countries about how I'd come to be here and where I'd been from before hand. How I hadn't heard from Prussia, Spain, and Britain for a week. How Germany was being unbearably cold towards me ever since. How I figured everyone would probably be happier and better off if I just went home.

**Damn you Trent! Every freaking time I tried to type Thomas in this chapter I typed Trent because of having written your name so much in recent chapters Dx So many times :L But anyways... yea ^.^ Thomas and Trent were originally from our world, who honestly saw that coming xP Honestly... not me cause I made it up on the spot 8D Though I've done that with practically this whole story... only a few things have actually been planed to happen. But that's just how I roll B)**


	46. Party

After a while I found myself to be all cried out. All of the tears inside of me had found their out and left Thomas with a rather damp shirt. But he didn't say anything about it. He acted as it the spot wasn't even there. Instead he tried to talk me out of thinking that everyone would be happier without me.

"That's not true and you know it," he said, gently stroking my back. "They all care for you so much. They'd be so sad if you just left them. What they're doing right now… it's not because they hate you. They're just hurt and confused by what they've found out. If you just give them time…"

"N-no," I whimpered quietly. "You didn't see Spain's face… or hear Germany's cold tone… or s-see Prussia and Britain just walk out like they did. Th-they all hate me now…"

Thomas didn't respond. I felt one of his leave me as he grabbed something from the table stand beside the table. "I have something for you…"

I pulled away, rubbing my eyes as I opened them, and looked at Thomas. He was holding a small wooden box. I looked at him with a questioning glance as he opened it. Inside of the box, a dozen or so coins sat. These had to be the coins that could transport me back home. The sight of them was… well it was a little scary yet relieving.

"You obviously want to go back to the other side…" Thomas whispered, his tone hesitant. "And that choice is completely yours to make. I can honestly say I'll be sad to see you leave. And I'm positive all of the countries will miss you if you leave too. But… like I said, it's your choice. You can take of these and a container for it. It won't take you back to the other side until you go to sleep and have it out of the container.

"But… the likelihood of you ever being able to come back are slim. The coins don't transport between sides… and since you don't know how to make the coins… the only way for you to get back would be to find some, which isn't likely since Trent's the only one who knows where those are now, or for someone who can make the coins to give you one.

"The only ones who know how, to my knowledge, are Trent and I. If Trent were to somehow show up… run. Just run and don't look back. I haven't been there in three years and I don't really plan on going back any time soon. So… if you do leave you'll most likely never get to come back and see everyone."

I looked at the coins. Just because I took one didn't mean I had to use it now. But… the sooner I left, the sooner everything would go back to normal for everyone. And everyone would be happier when that happened. Everyone would be better off when that happened.

It would probably be nice to say goodbye to certain countries before I did go home though, even if they didn't want to talk to me. If I didn't leave tonight I'd leave tomorrow night. "Okay… I-I understand," I said, gingerly taking one of the coins from the box. "Thank you…"

Thomas nodded, his expression sad yet understanding. He walked into the kitchen and came back with a small plastic bag for me to put the coin it. I put the coin in the bag and stuffed it in my pocket, sadly smiling at Thomas as he watch my every movement.

After a while of just quietly talking about different things I looked at my watch and saw that I needed to get going since America had promised to pick me up. I stood up, Thomas standing up and offing to walk me wherever I was headed to. I nodded and we headed to wear America said he'd pick me up. The walk was awkwardly silent. When we got there America was already waiting for me. I turned to Thomas and hugged him. "Thank you so much Thomas…" I said, noticing him stiffen again before he hugged me back. "I really appreciate it. And… I'm really going to miss you too."

Thomas smiled as he pulled away. "It's no problem… with all that's happened I kind of you owe you this at the very least. Oh… and if you meet someone that goes by the name of Tommy Thomas, can you say hi to him for me? You'll know if it's the right one, trust me. He looks a good deal like me, being my younger brother and all."

I nodded and we bid each other goodbye. I walked over to where America was standing, waving at me and yelling for me to notice him like the dork he was. "So… how was your day?" he asked, his tone cautious as I got into the car.

"It… was okay," I said, unsure if I should let him know about the coin that would take me home at this point.

"That's good," America said with an eager smile as he sat down and began driving.

I soon noticed we weren't going the way that would take us back to America's house. I looked at him questioningly but he didn't say a word, he only grinned excitedly. After about fifteen minutes of driving I decided to speak up. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," America teased.

I frowned, confusion washing over me. Five more minutes passed and America was still driving, still refusing to tell me where we were going. Five minutes turned into ten, and ten into fifteen. Finally, after a half an hour of waiting, America pulled into a parking lot. I got out of the car and looked around. We were in a large parking lot, a huge stadium not far ahead of us. What could America have possible planned? Especially when it was getting so dark outside. "You need to close your eyes," America told me, walking up behind me.

I turned and looked at him with confusion. "What?" I asked. "What're you talking about?"

"Just trust me," America said excitedly, covering my eyes with his hands and beginning to lead me to the stadium. Afraid that I would stumble and trip, I put a light grip on America's arm. I happily found that this saved me from falling flat on my face several times. "I know it's kind of late but…you never really got a birthday celebration."

Birthday celebration? Oh crap. Before I could even protest America removed his hands from my eyes. I was quickly blinded by the sudden intrusion of the bright stadium lights. Quickly adjusting to lights, I soon saw that there was a rather large amount of people talking… on the stadium's football field. "Yo, dudes! Turn on the music! The party can start!" America shouted at the people on the field.

Music started blaring and the people went from quietly chatting to full on partying. It was then that I noticed they were different countries. As America led me to them I began who all had come. Greece was with a mini-army of cats, a cat that looked suspiciously like Lucy sleeping on his head. Turkey was glaring at Greece… well Greece was glaring right back Turkey. Belarus was stalking Russia, Russia trying to stay as far away as possible, while Ukraine was smiling sadly at her siblings antics. Japan and Italy were talking with Germany. South Korea was running around groping different people. Canada was sitting all by his lonesome, I'd go talk to him when we got down to the field.

There were plenty of countries running about, but… Spain, Prussia, Britain were nowhere to be seen. I wasn't surprised. They hadn't been trying to make any type of communication with me for the past week, so it wasn't like one would expect to see them here. It would be nice to see all these countries one last time before I went home. Though they didn't know it… this was more of a goodbye party than a belated birthday celebration.

We arrived on the field and I was greeted by South Korea leaping onto me, groping me with a friendly smile. "Da-ze!" he proclaimed happily as I cried out in surprise.

America pulled the nation off of me and I quickly stood up, running away as South Korea grinned and jumped to tackle me to the ground again. I made my way over to Canada, hiding behind him. South Korea looked around, a confused expression on his face. He then shrugged and proceeded to go harass other countries, China and Japan in particular.

Canada looked at me with a friendly smile, laughing slightly at my attempts to stay out of South Korea's line of vision. "Don't laugh… he's so grabby…" I said lamely, giving a wary glance as I crawled out from behind him.

Canada smiled and lightly shook his head. "So how was your day?" he asked.

"It was good," I said with a nod as I sat down next to him, wondering if I should tell him about the coins. No. Not now. Now was when everyone was going to be having fun. It could wait until later tonight.

"Something wrong?" Canada asked with a slight frown.

I shook my head. "No, nothing's wrong… I-I need to talk to you about something, later though."

"Okay?" Canada said with a confused expression. "You can tell me now if you'd like…"

"No, later. Like when we all get back to America's."

Canada nodded, Russia suddenly running over to us with Belarus not far behind him. "P-please! Go away!" Russia cried, hiding behind me.

Belarus looked at me, her expression becoming infuriated as she whipped out her knife from her apron. "You will die!" she shouted.

Oh crap! I scrambled up and began running away from the knife wielding psychopath. South Korea suddenly came running at me from the direction opposite of Belarus. Shit. I quickly turned but saw that France was waiting for me with a creepy smile. The wall to the stadium was right behind me. They'd all cornered me. I was trapped… my three fates being stabbed to death by Belarus, groped to death by South Korea, or ending up with a perverted French creeper. None of the alternatives sounded all that great. And they were all closing in fast too. I had to react, and quickly.

Too late… I was on the ground, South Korea atop of me as Belarus tripped over us, thus flying over us. France walked up chuckled as I tried to push the handsy Korean off of myself. "Enjoying your party, ma petite fleur?" he asked with an amused smile.

"Off! Off of meeeee!" I cried out, doing the best to push South Korea away but failing miserably. South Korea started saying how the bra I was wearing was made so well that it had to be made in South Korea. I felt my face heat up and I quickly gave another push. "Get off!"

China decided to take pity on me and pulled South Korea off of me, an annoyed expression on his face. "You don't randomly jump on people like that, aru!" South Korea looked at China, a smile spreading across his face as he began groping the elder nation. "Aiya!"

I looked at China sympathetically as he smacked South Korea upside the head. The rest of the night was filled with more antics, Italy glomping me while Japan apologized for South Koreas behavior. America had set up tables for food and everyone had brought a dish from their country. Greece's mini-army of cats attacked Turkey once and I played with the cat on his head, who was in fact Lucy, some. By the time the party finally ended the sun was just starting to come up.

I said goodbye to everyone, having had a blast. It had been nice to get to do something nice and somewhat normal like that after so long. Sitting in the car I put my hand in my pocket and found that the coin was still safely in the bag. That was good. I had to call a few people, three in particular, tomorrow… say goodbye. I had to tell America and Canada later too… along with the axis and the rest of allies.


	47. Home

Tonight was the night… I'd be home by tomorrow morning. I hadn't gotten around to telling America and Canada yet, worried to how they might react about my decision. I'd already tried calling Britain and Spain, receiving their voicemails and leaving them a message saying how sorry I was for hurting them and couldn't blame them if they hated me now. How I felt horrible and would do anything to make it up to them. How that was why I had to say goodbye because I was going home. How I didn't think I would've been able to make it through everything without their help. How I hoped they had a good life and that I'd miss them.

It was time to try calling Prussia. I took a deep breath and dialed his number. I wasn't sure if I would rather he picked up or it went to voicemail. I desperately wanted to talk to him but… I also didn't think I could handle saying what I was going to say when able to hear his reaction. I'd had a hard enough time not breaking down while leaving the messages for Spain and Britain. Prussia was the hardest to say goodbye to in my mind. Depending on how he would react if he picked up… I wouldn't be able to keep myself from crying.

There was suddenly a sound on the other line. My breath caught in my throat as I heard Prussia groggily say hello. I bit my lip, taking a deep and shaky breath. "H-hello?" I said. "Th-this is Marissa…"

There was silence for a few moment before the sound of Prussia adjusting, probably in his bed. "Ja?" he said, the condemning tone to his voice stinging more than I thought was possible. "What's up?"

"I… I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry… I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all you. I know you probably won't believe anything I say right now, and I really can't blame you. I honestly wouldn't even be surprised if you hated me now…" I said. Prussia began trying to say something but I cut him off. "Wait… just let me finish before you say anything… please." Prussia remained silent so I continued. "Like I said… you probably won't believe me, but I really do care for you and everyone else that got mixed up in this. I honestly had no idea what Trent was trying to do… and I've never wanted to see any of you hurt.

"I'm really sorry… I'd take everything back if it meant you and everyone else didn't have to suffer from my screw ups and stupidity. S-so that's what I'm doing…"

Prussia cut me off before I could continue. "What do you mean?" Prussia asked, his tone sounding more worried than condemning now. "What are you doing, Marissa?"

"I… I'm going to make it so none of you have to deal with me or the shitty situations I cause anymore. You won't have to see me anymore or deal with me breaking down anymore. You won't have to ever put up with my crap anymore." My voice was shaking horribly at this point, I was close to breaking down. But I wouldn't let that happen, not when I was talking to Prussia for the last time. "I'm going home, Prussia. T-Thomas showed me how I can get there. You don't have to watch me just walk anymore… I have a path that will actually take me home."

Prussia tried to cut me off, saying how I shouldn't leave. Telling me to just calm down and talk to him because he didn't hate me. Tears entered my eyes as I did my best to hold my composure. "I-I'm sorry Prussia, b-but… I've already made my decision. Everyone is g-going to be better off and happier without me around. I just wanted to apologize and say goodbye before I left…"

"No! You listen to me right now! We won't be happier or better off if you leave! We'll be the exact opposite! Y-you bring this strange type of awesomeness to our lives that makes them better! If you leave then all of that will go away!" Prussia yelled.

I felt myself lose my grasp on any sense of self-control I still had. Tears began falling down my face as I a sob escaped me. This was one of the most painful decisions I had ever had to make and this wasn't making any easier. But… I had to go through with it, even if it hurt. It was for the best for everyone, even if Prussia didn't see that. Everyone would be so much happier if I wasn't here to cause trouble for them. "I… I need to go Prussia…" I managed to get out in between my sobs.

"Don't you dare hang up on me Marissa! Listen to me! You don't have to leave! Just wait, I'll come over to America's and we can talk through this! Just don't leave!" Prussia said, his voice frantic as the sound of him moving around entered my ear.

"I'm sorry Prussia…" I said, the pain of the conversation become suffocating as my voice became barely a whisper. "I… I just want you to know that I love you… wi-with all of my heart. P-please forgive me…"

I hung up and set the phone down, tears running down my face. The phone rang. I looked and saw that it was Spain. He must've gotten the message. Someone began pounding on the door, making me glad I'd locked it. "Marissa! If you're if there then please open the door!" It was America.

"Y-you don't need to do this!" Canada too apparently. And they seemed to know what was going on. Someone must've called them… Britain or Spain probably. "Please open the door and just talk to us!"

I looked down, tears falling into my hands. "I-I'm sorry…" I whispered, pulling the coin out and putting it under my pillow. I crawled under the covers, hiding myself and crying as America began trying to break down the door. "I'm so sorry…"

I felt my eyes droop as America got the door down. Almost there… so close. A warm and calming feeling suddenly wrapped itself around me. It was happening… I was going to be home and never have to cause any of my country friends trouble ever again. I could write it off as a dream when I woke up… make it less painful for myself.  
>I<br>was asleep now, seemingly falling towards a bright light. Yet, despite being asleep, I could still hear and feel everything going on around me. The sound of people running in and shouting for me to answer them. A pair of arms wrapped their selves around me. "D-don't leave us chica!" Spain? "We don't hate you! You need to stay with us!"

I found myself unable to respond, falling closer and closer to the light. Spain's touch found it's way to my face, wiping away the tears in my eyes. A slight gasp sounded and someone exclaimed that I was fading. It had sounded like Italy. "D-does this mean it's too late?" America whispered.

"No! I'm not going to let it end like this!"

It was Britain… so he was here too. The feeling of a hand being placed on my forehead entered my consciousness as Britain began chanting something in Latin. I saw the light get slightly further away. They were trying to keep me there… but that would mean nothing would never go back to normal for anyone. I had to get back home! I had to see my family again and let the countries have their trouble free lives… well as trouble free as they were without me, back! I couldn't let them make this mistake.

"She's coming back!" Italy cheered happily, Britain continuing his chant.

I reached out, doing my best to grab for the light. Britain suddenly stopped chanting, someone else running in. They sounded out of breath and panicked. It sounded like Prussia… and from the sound of it he'd brought Germany and Thomas with him.

The sudden stop in chanting from Britain sent me falling again. Prussia yelled at Thomas, telling him to stop me from leaving. I was almost there, so very close as Thomas yelled that he had no idea how to stop someone from going to the other side. Britain did his best to chant again but he couldn't seem to connect his hand with me, Spain's warm hug suddenly disappearing as well.

I felt a new sense of fear wash over me as the light engulfed me. I was never going to see them again. I'd never get to hear them talk again. Sure I could watch the anime but that wasn't the same at all. What was I going to do when I woke up? I had no idea how I could explain my disappearance and year long absence to my family and friends. And if I woke up somewhere no where near home… how would I get there if that happened? So many things I hadn't truly thought through.

I found myself unable to worry about the thoughts invading my mind anymore though. Any and every form of consciousness I still had were slipping away from me. But I suddenly found it coming back as soon as it disappeared.

I opened my eyes, finding myself lying on the ground. It was dark out and I seemed to be in a dead ended ally. I sat up, finding myself to still be in the clothes I'd been wearing when I'd laid down in the bed at America's. Did this mean… I was home?

I stood up and walked out of the ally. Looking around, I saw that my surroundings were incredibly familiar. I was in the city my family lived close to. I really was back… I really was going to get to see all my family and friends again.

I ran to the nearest pay phone and put a quarter in, happy that I'd thought to put a few in my pocket before calling the different countries, and dialed my home's phone number. One ring. Two rings. Three rings… someone picked. "Hello?" a female voice said, sounding tired.

"M-mom?" I asked, knowing that everything was finally going to go back to normal. "It's Marissa."

**And that's the end of this story... yep. Last chapter. *Hides behind a wall so I won't be bricked to death* OAO P-please don't kill me. There will be a sequel. And the first chapter will be posted as soon as it's written up. And I'll post a notice on here when it goes up, which with how much I've been looking forward to the sequel... could be as soon as later today or tomorrow. But yea... you never know xP **


	48. Update: Sequel

**The first chapter to the sequel has been posted :) The title is _This is Real_.**


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